When We Reach The End
by Jessica.L.Callaghan
Summary: Amara Riddle is a young woman caught in a war she never thought existed. A war between a mad titan who seeks to destroy them all, and a team of dysfunctional heroes desperate to keep their world safe. As Amara struggles to come to terms with her powers which threaten to engulf her, Loki begins to train her. Will the Trickster manage control her, or will she break down his barriers?
1. A New Power

**Chapter one**

A shiver escaped Amara as she crept through the abandoned and destroyed streets of London. Bodies littered the streets, causing Amara to close her eyes and breathe deeply. She couldn't stand the sight, but she had to keep moving.

The damage caused by the Avengers latest fight had devastated the city of London. Amara knew it was the same creatures that had attacked Manhattan. The Chitauri.

She let out a sigh of relief as she reached the only part of the city not destroyed. It was a relief to get away from the sight of death that filled the streets.

She had barely set one foot forward when she heard a growl behind her. Amara spun around, her eyes wide as she faced a Chitauri soldier advancing on her.

Amara felt her heart hammering in her chest as she back away, fear spiking in her chest. The soldier followed and raised his weapon, ready to attack as Amara backed into a wall.

She let out a scream as the Chitauri came closer, and lifted her hands to defend herself, when a green flame began to cover her hands, and shot at the soldier, causing the Chitauri to collapse to the ground, a hole in his chest.

Amara looked at her hands that were covered in a ghostly green fire, her eyes wide with shock as realization sunk in. She could barely keep her knees from giving away, and stumbled away from the sight of the soldier, her stomach beginning to become unsettled by the sight and the smell.

She heard the sound of a machine above her, and looked up to see an armoured suit land in front of her. The mask lifted and she saw the handsome face of Tony Stark.

"Hey kid? You alright?" He asked, his voice surprisingly calm and gentle. The green fire faded from her shaking hands and Amara let out a sigh.

"I- I think so. But that fire, how did I do that?" She asked quietly, brushing her long black hair out of her face.

A frown crossed Tony's face and he tilted his head to the side as he looked down at the dead Chitauri soldier a few feet away from them, his deep brown eyes filled with curiosity.

"Not a clue. But I know someone who may know. Since you have this... power, you should probably get somewhere safe" Tony said firmly, his chocolate brown eyes meeting Amara's light, hazel ones.

She nodded quickly and breathed in deeply before looking at her hands, clenching them to stop them from shaking.  
"I will. But I'm not sure what that was, my power I mean." She said slowly as she turned her hands, looking to see if there were any marks from the fire.

When she looked back up, Tony was directly in front of her, and a small smile appeared.  
"Well if you want my opinion that was pretty awesome. I've never seen anything like that before" he said as he winked at her, then held out his arm.

"Come on. I'll get you somewhere safe. Our jet is close by so you can wait on there." He said. Amara hesitated for a moment, unsure whether she should trust him, but quickly pushed that notion away. The man was an international icon for good, why would she not trust him?

She stepped closer and Tony held her gently before he moved, picking her up then flying up and away from the area.

As they flew, she saw the ongoing conflict much easier, although she wished she had never seen it. She turned her head so her face was buried in Tony's chest and closed her eyes, partly so she wouldn't see the fighting, and to try and distract herself from the flight.

"You ok kid?" Tony asked as they left the area of the city.

Amara nodded, her eyes still tightly shut.  
"I just don't enjoy flying very much" she said through clenched teeth. She heard Tony chuckle and opened her eyes for a second to glare at him.

"Well if you're going to be sick, don't be sick on me ok?" Tony joked, causing a small, weak smile to appear on the young womans face as she began to relax slightly.


	2. The Meeting

Amara let out a sigh as they landed beside the plane, her face pale as Tony set her down.

"Never again" she mumbled as she sent Tony a glare before breathing deeply to keep her stomach calm. Tony let out a laugh and smiled at Amara, patting her back.

"It wasn't that bad! At least the Chitauri didn't shoot at us" He said with a grin as he led her onto the plane. Amara looked around, her eyes wide in awe and a large smile crossed her face.

The plane was larger than she thought it would be. The seats were clearly meant for comfort as well as durability, and there were stairs heading up to the next level.

"Make yourself at home kid. I've got a fight to get back to" Tony said as he sent Amara a small smile before heading back out and flying into the sky.

Amara watched him fly away then turned around and slowly made her way up the stairs of the plane, looking nervous as she sat in one of the large couches around a plasma t.v.

She didn't know why but she felt exhausted. She sighed and tried to relax.  
"May as well try to sleep" she muttered to no one before closing her eyes, slowly drifting into a dreamless sleep.

When Amara woke up, she saw Tony kneeling in front of her, his hand on her shoulder as he shook her away.

"Hey kid. Sleep well?" He asked with a smile. Amara yawned and nodded slowly as she blinked and sat up, looking around at the other people in the room and her eyes widened as she saw the rest of the Avengers.

There was a silence, then the tall man with blonde hair and blue eyes stepped forward, a small smile on his face.

"Hi. I'm Steve Rogers. I understand this must be... confusing for you" he said with an apologetic smile.

A faint blush covered the young womans face but she smiled back.  
"I'm Amara Riddle. It's nice to meet you Steve" Amara said, her eyes darting to the rest of the team. Steve nodded and followed her gaze.

"Ah yes. This is Natasha, Clint, Thor and Bruce." He said, pointing to each person in turn. Bruce and Clint offered Amara a smile, and Thor stepped forward, took Amaras hand and kissed it gently, causing the young woman to blush deeply.

Tony let out a laugh and grinned, then rolled his eyes.

"Thor careful. I saw her create green fire with that hand!" Tony said with a smirk, causing Thor to jump and his eyes to widen.

"Green flames you say? Are you sure Man of Iron?" Thor said, his voice and eyes guarded as they flicked from Amara to Tony.

Tony nodded and looked at Amara as well. The young woman shifted and bit her lip, looking worried as Thor's eyes wandered over her, as if he were carefully analysing every inch of her.

"Yeah. She put a hole through the chest of one of the soldiers. It was pretty awesome to see, and I'd love to know how she did it" Tony said, barely holding back his excited grin as he sat beside Amara.

The young woman let out a small but nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of her neck.  
"To be truthful, I have no idea how that happened. I've never done anything like that before but I was in one of the buildings that the Chitauri destroyed with that bomb" she said, her voice quiet as she shuddered.

All eyes were on her at that point, and she visibly shrank into her seat, not used to the attention.  
"How on earth did you survive that?" Natasha asked, her eyes boring into Amaras.

"I really don't know. I was working when they blew the building up. It was like an energy blast. Any time it touched anyone they just dropped dead. When it came to me though, this green bubble, sort of a shield I guess, surrounded me" Amara explained, her voice shaking as she remembered the moment she watched each of her colleagues drop dead.

Natasha looked as if she wanted to ask a few more questions when Bruce intervened.  
"Natasha enough. The poor girl has been through a lot and I want to check her over for any injuries and do a full scan to see if there are any anomalies in her blood" Bruce said firmly. He looked at Amara and his gaze softened as he helped her up.

"Come on. Best make sure you are healthy" he said with a small smile.  
Amara gave him a thankful smile as he led her from the room, and she began to relax as the tension evaporated from the air.

"Thanks for that. I was getting nervous there" she mumbled as they walked through the corridor of the jet.

Bruce smiled and opened the door to her left, holding it open for her.  
"I could tell. You look exhausted, but I still need to check you over. Just in case you were effected by any radiation from the Chitauri weapons" he explained as Amara entered the room. She stopped when she saw the room was a medical room and looked around.

The room was occupied by six beds, all with a table beside them. There were cupboards lining the walls and a screen by each bed, clearly for privacy.

Bruce guided Amara towards one of the beds and helped her up.  
"Right, you may not enjoy this, but I have to do a full examination, including blood tests" he said slowly and Amara nodded.

Two hours later and the tests were done. Bruce was, in Amaras mind, the best, and kindest doctor she had ever met. He was clearly a naturally shy man, but was very friendly and animated when talking about a subject he was waiting for the blood test results to come back as Bruce brought over a tray.

"I wasn't sure what you liked so I got mixture of food for you" he said softly as he placed the tray in front of Amara.

She smiled appreciatively and sat up, examining the food on the plate before starting to eat. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until she began to eat.

Once she had ate her fill, Bruce moved the tray and watched her carefully, his nervous gaze had relaxed and was now merely inquisitive.  
"You have never experienced this power before?" He asked, his hushed tone calm and gentle.

Amara shook her head.  
"No. This is the first time it has ever happened" she mumbled quietly as she gazed at her hands.

Bruce went to say something when a machine beeped, causing him to jump slightly. He headed over to the computer and examined the results carefully, before humming quietly and looking over his shoulder at the young woman.

"Amara? Do you know what your blood type is?" He asked, his eyes wide as he gazed at the results on the screen in front of him.

The young woman in question looked up and tilted her head to the side.

"No, I can't remember. Why?" She asked and slowly got up from the bed, making her way towards Bruce to look at the computer screen.

"Because this says you have no known blood type, your blood acts differently than anything I've ever seen. It's like a brand new blood type, absolutely remarkable." Bruce said, the amazement clear in his voice as he turned around to face her.

"I'll run some more tests on the sample, but it might be that your blood changed due to what happened" he explained and rested his hand on her shoulder as Amara let out a sigh.

"I promise it will be alright. We are all here for you" Bruce said softly and gave her a small smile. Amara smiled back and before Bruce could react, she gave him a small hug, shocking the older man and causing him to freeze.

"Thanks Bruce" she whispered before she pulled away and smiled softly. A soft blush crossed her cheeks and Bruce cleared his throat, his own face red.

"Um, yes. It's fine" he said quickly. Fortunately the pair were saved the embarrassment when Steve entered the medical room.

"Hey you two. We are about to land. You two might want to come back down so we can get inside the building. Amara, I've spoken to the Director and he wants to meet you, but for now you can stay with us" Steve explained with a smile, then tilted his head to the side in confusion as he noticed the awkward air around Bruce and Amara.

"Is everything ok?" he asked, concerned for the pair. Both Bruce and Amara nodded before following Steve towards the Bombay doors of the jet.


	3. The Home of Heroes

Amara watched out of the window as the jet landed outside if the Avengers Mansion, and breathed a sigh of relief as she felt the wheels touch the ground.

Flying was not something she enjoyed, but she could put up with it for short spaces of time. As they made their way off if the jet, Thor moved towards Amara, a small and kind smile on his face.

"Lady Amara, how are you faring? I noticed that you went quiet as we landed" Thor asked, his sky blue eyes showing his concern for the young woman.

Amara gave Thor a weak smile, feeling relieved as she felt solid ground beneath her feet.  
"I don't like flying. It terrifies me to be honest" she explained, shuddering slightly as she looked at the large jet.

Thor nodded in understanding and chuckled softly.  
"Flying is not so bad. The view from the sky is unparalleled" he said, a longing tone in his voice as he gazed up at the sky. He looked back at Amara and shook his head.

"Enough for now, we must get the fair maiden settled in" He said and opened the door to the Mansion for her.  
Amara could help the amazement that she felt as she looked around, the mansion was massive, and if the living room was anything to go by, the rooms would be massive.

The team split off, Natasha and Clint heading out back, while Bruce and Tony headed off into another room, causing Steve to wince.

"How long before they blow something up?" He asked, looking over at Thor who laughed.  
"I would say five minutes" Thor said with a grin and Steve nodded before looking over at Amara.

"Miss Riddle, I should probably show you to your room. Or would you like to explore first?" Steve asked, a gentle smile on his face.

"I think seeing my room would be best. If I explore I'll probably get lost for how big this place is." Amara said slowly, causing Steve to chuckle and nod.

"Oh I understand that. I still get lost and I've lived here for three years now" he said as he led her towards the stairs. Amara couldn't help but let out a small laugh as he said that and grinned, slowly relaxing in Steves Company.

"So, you're Captain America huh?" She asked quietly, simply making conversation. Steve nodded and rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling quietly.

"Yes I am. Although I'd prefer you did just call me Steve. The whole Captain thing is a little... Formal" he said, a faint blush covering his face as he spoke.

Amara nodded and smiled as they sunk into silence, but it was peaceful for both of them. As they passed each room, Steve made a small comment about each one, telling her what it was.

As they passed one of the rooms, an explosion was heard from inside, as well as a laugh, causing Amara to look up at Steve who let out a sigh.  
"Tony's lab. He and Bruce usually end up causing explosions a lot. Don't worry though, it isn't too dangerous" he explained to her and gave Amara a comforting smile.

As they arrived at the final door, Steve stopped and opened it, motioning for her to enter.  
"This is your room. If you want we can redecorate it. I had SHIELD put some books and a computer in while we were on the jet" Steve said softly.

"It's perfect" Amara said quietly as she traced the book spines with her fingers. She smiled and turned around to look at Steve.  
"Thanks for this. I mean, all of this. You could have just left me there or forced me off to your director" she said softly, a soft smile on her face.

Steve nodded and looked around.  
"I sort of understand how confusing this must all be for you. Pushed out of your old world into this one. It's maddening. I know because it happened to me" Steve said as he gazed out of the window.

Amara stepped forward and placed a hand on Steves arm, causing the tall man to jump.  
"Want to talk about it?" She asked. Steve looked at her in wonder before sitting on Amaras bed. Then he began to talk.

He told her everything, speaking of how he felt for the first time since he woke up. He told her about the War, the Serum. He told her about the fighting and the Red Skull, and most of all, he told her about Peggy.

Amara noticed a longing look in his eyes as Steve spoke about his past love, and she felt her heart crumbling from his story.  
"You've suffered so much Steve, and I know it isn't nearly as good as all of your old friends, but you have friends here. You and the rest of your team are like a family. They are here for you, especially for this" she whispered as she gave him a gentle hug.

Steve gave the young woman a weak smile and nodded, clearing his throat before he spoke.  
"Thanks for that. I didn't realise how badly I needed to talk about it. You are a kind woman miss Riddle" he said quietly before standing.

"I need to... to do a few things" he said, his voice strained with emotion and Amara nodded.

"My door is always open Steve. And please, call me Amara" she said as Steve smiled at her and left.

Amara lay back and stared up at the ceiling of her room, trying to wrap her mind around everything when an explosion caused her to jump then smile as she heard Tony's laugh. She closed her eyes as she thought about what had happened, then opened them again to look at her hand.

She concentrated hard, willing a flame to appear, and soon enough, a small green flame flickered to life in the palm of her hand. Her eyes widened and she touched the flame with her other hand, feeling nothing but a bone cold chill that the ghostly flame gave off.

She closed her hand into a fist, extinguishing the flame before letting her head fall back on the pillow with a sigh. She could barely comprehend what was happening, and how she was acting so calm about it, but she was a survivor, she could survive and adapt to this new world she belonged to.

Because if she didn't, she wouldn't survive another week.


	4. A God and His Hammer

All Amara had intended to do was sleep. She remembered everything that had happened, and should have realised that not even trying to sleep would stop strange things from happening, and soon enough, she found herself outside.

But her luck became even worse when she heard Thor shout, and turned to see his hammer flying towards her. Her eyes widened and she threw herself to the ground, then she felt the hammer fly above her and straight through where she had just stood.

"Lady Amara! Are you alright?" Thor asked as he ran towards her, the worry clear in his eyes.

"I have not harmed you have I?" he asked, his voice more gentle this time as he helped the young woman sit up, and surprising Amara with his gentleness.

"I'm alright Thor. I just have no clue how I got here" she said with a groan as she rubbed her forehead before looking up at the golden haired god.

"Well you appeared out of nowhere, and I believe that it is linked to your ability to control that flame. I was worried when I saw you appear as it thought Mjolnir would have hit you" Thor explained as he looked Amara over, clearly examining her.

Amara sighed and rested her head in her hands, feeling overwhelmed by what was happening to her. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up slightly to see Thor smiling softly at her.

"Do not worry Lady Amara. We are all here to help you, no matter what. I promise I shall do all I can to help you with these abilities. However I must inform you, of all I have seen in my time in these realms, there has only been one person I have ever seen who has had powers like yours" Thor said, his voice becoming grave and his eyes turned darker slightly as the sky began to rumble.

Amara looked around as the thunder clapped through the sky and a light drizzle began, landing around them, but not touching them. The dark look in Thors eyes caused a nervous feeling to travel through Amara. The look of pain and grief in his eyes was heart breaking, and Amara knew that the person must have been close to him.

"Would they be able to help me control my powers" She asked quietly as she bit her lip. The look of grief in Thors eyes increased and he let out a small sigh.

"I am afraid that the person would most likely offer you a deal that would help him rather than you, and I doubt my father would allow anyone to see him, as he is currently in Asgardian prison. "He said slowly, his eyes looking up at the now dark and cloudy sky as the thunder rang through.

"W- Who is this person" Amara asked hesitantly, her eyes never leaving Thors face as she watched the shift of expressions on his face.

"My brother. Loki" Thor said with a soft growl, causing Amaras eyes to widen and her face to pale. She had heard of Loki. Almost everyone knew he had led the Chitauri in the Battle of Manhattan, and many people would do anything to get their hands on him.

"So, if I want help with my powers, I have to try to get your brother to help me?" Amara said slowly, hardly believing what she was hearing. Thor let out a sigh and nodded, then looked down. The rain was becoming heavier, and the thunder was much louder than before.

"I am afraid so. But I doubt he will help you at all, as he is a trickster, and would only use you to escape" Thor said. "Come, we should return inside to discuss this new ability of yours with the others" He said as he helped her up and led her inside. The rain didn't touch them once, but they had to tread through the soaking wet grass and mud. They entered the house through the kitchen, and heard Clint shouting.

"She is a danger while she is here! Her powers are exactly like his, and she just happens to appear during the Chitauri attack?" Clint growled as he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at Bruce, who was standing his own ground.

Bruce let out a low growl and stepped towards Clint.

"That girl has suffered enough today. Don't you dare talk about her like that. Yes, her blood matches his for the magic, but she is a completely different person. She shows no signs of being controlled like others did. She is just a young girl who has been put in a terrifying situation" Bruce growled, his eyes flashing green as he glared at Clint who stepped up to meet the challenge, clearly not fazed by the danger.

"Go ahead Banner. Let your anger out and we'll see if she will still want to be in your company" Clint said in a low voice. It was Tony's quick reactions that stopped Bruce from changing into the Hulk then and there. He stepped between the pair and pushed them both back.

"Enough. Both of you need to cool off. Bruce, panic room now. And Clint?" Tony said as he turned to face the archer who was glaring at Bruce as he left. Clint shifted his gaze onto Tony, then landed on his back as the billionaire sent him sprawling to the floor with a punch to the gut.

"Bruce is right. Amara is an innocent kid. Leave her alone, and if I hear of you even bothering her, I won't mind throwing you out of this mansion myself" Tony growled then turned, stopping when he saw Amara staring wide eyes at the scene in front of her. Tony's jaw clenched then he looked back down at Clint, who stood and walked briskly out of the room, barging past both Thor and Amara, and nearly sending the poor girl to the floor.

"Ignore him kid. He is still a little uneasy around magic ever since Loki took control of his mind" Tony said quietly as he walked towards Amara. The young woman nodded and stared at Clint's retreating form before letting out a sigh.

"What did he mean, magic? Is that what my powers are?" Amara asked as she looked up at Tony.

"We aren't sure kid. But I promise we will help you with this. Now how the hell did you end up outside? I'm sure I saw Steve taking you to your room" Tony asked as he walked around the bar and poured himself a drink.

Amara let out a soft sigh and looked up at Thor who nodded encouragingly.  
"I can teleport" she said softly, causing the people still in the room to freeze and look up at her with shock.

Steve looked over at Natasha who let out a sigh of her own.  
"Think you can show us?" She asked, her voice for once sounding strained as she watched the younger woman.

Amara gulped and blushed as everyone's gaze was fixed on her. She breathed in deeply and closed her eyes, focusing on trying to move and felt a thread of power stir inside of her.

She felt herself move, however it was gentle, as if she was being pushed to the location gently. She heard a gasp and opened her eyes, looking up at Tony who was now in front of her. She looked around to find herself behind the bar as well and gave him a small smile.

"That was awesome kid. You pretty much faded away, then a black cloud appeared and you formed from it here!" Tony said with a grin as he patted Amaras shoulder.

Amara blushed and rubbed the back of her neck.  
"Umm thanks?" She said, tilting her head to the side as she let out a nervous laugh. She wasn't used to the attention being focused on her and she wasn't sure she liked it.

Tony held out a glass to the young woman who looked up at the man who was smirking at her.  
"You seem like you could use a strong drink. You are old enough to drink right?" Tony asked, pulling the glass back slightly.

"I'm twenty two Tony. I am old enough to drink" Amara said as she took the glass from him, examining the contents. Tony nodded and placed his arm around her shoulders, leading the young woman towards the couch.

"Now sit and drink kid, you've had a hard time and could do with relaxing" Tony said as they both sat down. Amara drank slowly, her throat burning as the fiery liquid slid down her throat.  
Steve and Natasha were talking lowly, Natasha's eyes flicking over to Amara and Tony who were talking quietly.

"He seems pretty... protective, of her" Natasha murmured quietly as she looked back to Steve and Thor.

"Well, he did find her after she took out that Soldier. He said she looked terrified about it. Poor girl needs someone to talk to, and Tony, while he is a bit eccentric, is perfect for her to talk to" Steve said lowly as he smiled.

Amara smiled softly as she looked around, feeling safe and not worried or scared for the first time that day. She looked over at Thor, Natasha and Steve who all sent the young woman a smile.


	5. The Archers Anger

Amara had slept peacefully for the first time in days. There were no noises of fighting, no worry of Chitauri invading the area. When she woke, her first thought was what would happen to her now, and would she discover anything new about her powers.

She remembered one of the Avengers saying something about her powers being 'magic'. She almost scoffed at the idea. The very thought of magic defied all logic. Then she remembered that aliens were attacking the planet, and the existence of magic seemed more real.

She sat up and looked around before letting out a yawn. She stood and looked at her clock, letting out a sigh as she saw it said 6:30 am.

She changed into the clothes that SHIELD had gotten for her, examining the green jumper and blue denim jeans carefully before sliding them on, surprised at how they were a good fit. She was quite worried at how the clothes seemed to fit perfectly, especially since she hadn't met anyone from SHIELD.

She made her way downstairs and into the kitchen then looked around as she put the kettle onto boil and made herself a cup of tea.

She shivered and pulled at the sleeves of her jumper as she slowly drank her tea, looking out of the window at the early morning sun. The light draped lazily across the yard outside, illuminating a lone figure standing at an archery range.

Amara opened the door quietly, heading towards the range. She realized that the man standing at the range was Clint. She felt a nervous jump in her stomach as she watched him raise his bow and aim it at the target.

She watched as he drew back the arrow, and he breathed in before releasing the arrow and it flew towards the target, hitting dead centre.

"I know you're there" Clint said quietly as he lowered his bow, causing Amara to jump but move closer.

"Sorry. I just, I saw you out here and I was curious" she mumbled as she looked down. She had no idea why but this man made her nervous. Maybe it was because of what he had said the day before, but she wasn't sure she was happy being alone with him.

"Its fine I guess. Just keep away understand? I don't need any of your magic getting in the way" Clint growled, saying the word 'magic' with distaste. Amara flinched at the hatefulness in his words, and gulped nervously.

"What's so wrong with magic?" She asked timidly, and she soon wished she hadn't asked.

Clint turned in her, his eyes full of anger.  
"Because it is unnatural. The way you can control people is disgusting and it is crazy. You can take a person's free will, forcing them to do who knows what, then make them live with that knowledge the rest of their lives and that is just plain wrong" he growled and crossed his arms.

Amara flinched again and moved back, shrinking into herself as Clint spoke. She looked down at her hands, staying quiet as he spoke.

"You can't judge a group by one person's actions. I know someone hurt you with magic, but you can't fear and hate the rest of us. We aren't all like that and I wouldn't do that." She whispered, causing Clint to send her a glare and move back to the archery range.

"Whatever. Just leave me alone and I'll leave you alone" he said sharply as he aimed at the target again. Amara couldn't help the scowl that appeared on her face and she rolled her eyes.

"You know. You seemed a lot nicer before you knew about my powers" She muttered before heading back towards the house. She shut the door behind her and shivered softly picking up her cup of tea again and sipped it gently as she made her way to the living room. She hummed quietly and looked at the books on the shelves

She smiled as she saw the different books kept on the shelves. She let out a happy sigh and took one of the books, then sat on the couch and opened the book, already engrossed in her favourite novel.

It was only when she heard the sound of feet heading in her direction that she looked up from her book to see Steve entering the room, a tired smile on his face when he saw her.

"Hey Amara. Sleep well?" Steve asked as he yawned. Amara returned the smile and watched him as he sat.

"Yes I slept well. What about you? She asked as she placed her book beside her. Steve shrugged before sitting down, a small smile on his face.

"I slept alright. What are you doing up so early anyway?" He asked as he failed to suppress a yawn, causing Amara to laugh softly.

"Woke up and I couldn't get back to sleep, so I came down for a cup of tea then met the resident archer who seems to absolutely hate me" she said, her voice taking on an angry hint at the end.

Steve shook his head and let out a sigh, then placed a hand on the young womans shoulder.  
"I'll talk to Clint. He went through a lot with Loki controlling him and hadn't gotten over it. However he shouldn't be taking it out on you. I'll deal with him later" Steve said quietly before blushing as his stomach growled loudly.

"Come on. Let's get something to eat while we wait for the others" Amara said with a laugh as she stood. Steve chuckled and stood as well, then headed towards the kitchen.

The moment they arrived, he began hunting through the cupboards for food, and a triumphant shout let Amara know Steve had found what he was after.

Amara stood to help, and the pair began to work on making the breakfast for the rest of the team, who, one by one, were lured from their rooms by the smell of food.

"Something smells really nice" Tony said as he walked into the kitchen, his signature smirk in place as he looked at the food that was waiting to be eaten.

"That would be Amaras cooking." Steve said with a smile as the young woman blushed slightly.  
"You cooked too!" She said as she pointed her fork at the Star Spangled Man, before impaling another pancake with the same utensil.

Tony grinned and sat down, then began to eat quickly.  
"Damn, this tastes awesome! Amara, how would you like a job here cooking?" Tony said as he gazed at the young woman.

"I rarely cook so I'll have to turn the offer down, but thanks any ways" she said, sending the older man a wink. The conversation continued between the team, and it was only a comment that Clint made to Natasha in Norwegian that caused Amara to glare at him.

"Hvordan vet de at hun ikke har satt en spell på mat? Hun kunne ha forgiftet oss, og de er bare å sitte og spise uten omsorg i verden" Clint growled as he glared at the food in front of him.

"You know Clint, while the rest of the Avengers can't understand a word you just said, I can. And if you have a problem with the food, just don't eat it" she said coolly, her eyes narrowed as she stared at the archer.

For Clint, it seemed to be too much, and he stood, his eyes fixed on the young woman.  
"My problem isn't with the food, it's with you. How is it that when we are fighting the Chitauri, you just happen to appear and your powers just 'happen' to manifest then? For all we know you could be a spy for Loki!" He growled, causing the all friendly talk to fade away, and the entire table to fall silent.

Amara simply shook her head and stood as well, before pulling a necklace from around her neck, the pendant that dangled clearly showing a design that caused Thor to gasp.

"I'm not a spy for Loki, however my religion is of the old ways, and the one I picked as my patron God was Loki. That does not make me his spy, simply someone who looks up to him in times of trouble." She growled. Everyone stayed silent and watched as Amara turned on heel and left the room.

Back in the kitchen, Clint shook his head, his eyes narrowed.  
"See what I mean? What sane minded person would worship 'him' as a God?" He said with a huff in his voice.

"My brother was worshipped by many young men and women, whom believed understand his path of chaos and mischief. While the rest of us boasted stories of our adventures to the ancient Norse people, Loki gathered his small group of followers, and taught them tricks, showed them how to use magic and how to control it. However, he took precautions so only those who were truly his followers could wield his magic. I now believe I know where Amaras powers originate from" Thor said slowly, causing everyone in the room to turn to him.

"Thor, are you saying that the powers Amara has, could possibly be because Loki gave someone powers years back and they passed down through her family?" Bruce asked incredulously. Thor nodded and gave Bruce a grave look.

"That is exactly what I am saying Dr. Banner, and if I am correct, Loki is the only one who can teach her to tame her powers" Thor said, his voice grave and slow as each team member thought about what this meant.


	6. Training with a Soldier and and Assassin

Amara sighed as she looked at the pendant in her hand, her mind reeling from the argument. She couldn't understand why he thought her a spy, although showing her beliefs wouldn't have helped her much.

She rubbed her forehead and looked up as she heard a knock on the door.  
"Come in" she said softly, and her eyes widened in surprise as she saw Natasha open the door.

"Hello Amara" the red haired assassin said slowly as she entered the room. Amara watched as Natasha sat beside her, cautious of what the older woman wanted.

"Look. Clint was wrong to say those things, and since you're stuck with us for a while, I don't want there to be an awkward air between us. You need training, you need to know how to protect yourself so here's what I'm offering. I'll teach you, as long as you avoid Clint. Deal?" Natasha said, her voice revealing no emotions.

Amara thought for a moment. She knew she needed the training. She couldn't rely on everyone else to protect her. She looked at the pendant in her hand and a soft sigh escaped her lips. She looked up at Natasha, her eyes filled with a determination that surprised the assassin.

"I think I can do that" Amara said quietly. She looked over to the window for a moment before looking back at Natasha and gave the older woman a smile.  
"You have a deal Agent Romanoff." Amara said and nodded. Natasha gave the young girl a rare smile before patting her shoulder.

"Just call me Natasha. Oh and by the way, training starts in twenty minutes. Meet me in the training room, Jarvis will show you the way" Natasha said as she stood. She made her way to the door then stopped, and turned to face Amara.

"Just give Clint time. He is still recovering from what happened with Loki" she said before leaving and closing the door behind her.

Amara sat still for a moment, unsure of how to react to what had just happened.

As she dressed, she thought over what Natasha had said. She was more than happy to avoid Clint. As she made her way towards the training room, her mind turned to Loki. He seemed to be centred around so much of what was happening.

As she entered the training room, she saw Natasha waiting by the punching bags, her arms crossed as she spoke to Steve who looked unsure and nervous.

The moment she entered the training room, the pair looked over at her, and Steve gave the young girl a smile,  
"Hey Amara. You ready for your training?" Steve asked, a nervous hint to his voice. Amara smiled and nodded, looking around at the training room. There was a running track that went around the room, and all exercise equipment was placed in the middle of the room.

As Natasha and Steve began to explain the basics of self defence, Amara began to realise that the training would involve more than just staying she learned how to control her powers, she needed a way to defend herself that wouldn't endanger the lives of those around her.

As the session went on, Amara began to favour Steve as her teacher. While Natasha knew what she was talking about, she was terrifying when she began to show the young woman how to fight. Steve had more of a relaxed approach to his teaching. He was kinder and spoke slowly, allowing Amara to ask any questions and adjusting her stance when she finally moved onto the punching bag.

"Amara. You aren't punching correctly. The way you have your fist is most likely going to break your hand than hurt the enemy, curl your fist like this as you punch, that way, you don't injure yourself, and it deals more damage" Steve explained as he demonstrated what he was saying. Amara nodded slowly, she watched carefully before trying the move for herself, and a smile crossed her face as Steve and Natasha nodded in approval.

Three hours later, Steve led Amara to the kitchen, stating that she needed to eat to keep her energy up. As they arrived, they saw a large blue flash outside, causing Amara to jump.

"Don't worry Amara. That was just Thor leaving for Asgard. He is going to see if he can find anything that could help you." Steve explained quietly, relaxing the young woman before he began to make them lunch. Steve, it seemed, was very talkative when he was cooking, telling her of his time during World War Two, and the missions he went on with his friends.

Amara noticed the sad look in Steves eyes as he spoke of his friends, and she placed a reassuring hand on his arm.  
"Steve, it must be so hard for you. Waking up in this time and everyone you knew is gone. So much has changed since then. How did you cope with it all?" She asked softly. Steve looked at her and a small smile appeared on his face.

"I simply think of the friends I have today. And how I am needed now. Yes I miss them all, but dwelling on the past isn't good. I need to be focused, and I let go of my grief and guilt a long time ago as I realised Peggy would have given me an earful had she seen the way I was moping around back then" Steve said with a chuckle, causing Amara to laugh as well.

The pair ate in silence, Amaras eyes wandering outside every so often where it had begun to rain. The pair were alone in the kitchen for a while before Tony and Bruce came in, both talking quickly.

"I'm telling you Brucie. Her powers will keep expanding. From what the camera in the training room showed, Amara has natural battle reflexes. She needs a proper teacher, someone to show her how to use and control her magic" Tony explained to Bruce who had a thoughtful look on his face before he saw Amara and Steve.

Amara simply smiled at Bruce, not bothered that they were talking about her.  
"Hi guys. Want some lunch?" She asked, pushing a plate of sandwiches towards them. Tony grinned and sat beside the young woman, helping himself to a sandwich.

"Kid are you sure you don't want that cooking job? I'll pay you anything!" he said as he bit into a sandwich. Amara let out a chuckle and rolled her eyes, a small smile appearing on her face.

"Oh by the way, you did pretty awesome when you were training with Natasha and Steve. Although you might also want to try using your powers while you are training. You need to start trying to control them" Tony said as he took a bite from his sandwich. Amara gave Tony a small smile and nodded, then looked over at Bruce who seemed deep in thought.

"Bruce? Are you alright?" She asked quietly, causing the shy and quiet man to look up from the table, his face creased with a frown.  
"Yes. I'm just trying to think of who could teach you magic, but the only person I can think of is not a really nice person" Bruce said slowly causing both Steve and Tony to stiffen. Amara looked at the three men and her eyes darkened slightly.

"Let me guess. My only option is Loki?" she asked quietly as her gaze switched from each man. She breathed in deeply and rested her head in her hands for a moment before looking up again.

"Well, looks like I will just have to put up with him. If Thor can bring him here that is" she muttered quietly as she looked down at her sandwich, her appetite gone.


	7. The Allfather

Thor walked through the halls of Asgard briskly, his eyes narrowed as he passed servants and guards. He was too deep in thought to notice them. It was a lone voice that stirred him from his thoughts, Thor looked up and smiled as he saw his mother walking towards him.

"Mother, how do you fare?" He asked as he hugged her gently, his voice softer than usual. Frigga gave her son a small smile as she looked up at her son, her eyes examining him carefully.

"You have been busy, my son. I sense the weariness on you. Come, you should rest and eat, you look far too skinny" Frigga said sternly, causing Thor to roll his eyes and sigh in indignation as his shoulders slouched slightly.

"Mother I am not a child. And there are more important things happening lately than feasting and sleeping. My team has found a woman, who has powers like Lokis. She only recently discovered them as the Chitauri attacked, and I saw them first hand when she accidentally teleported in front of me while I was training" He explained, a frown taking the place of his smile.

At the mention of Lokis name, a pained look filled Friggas eyes and she looked down for a moment before looking back up at her eldest son.

"Then we need to find her some help. I remember how much trouble your brother got into with his powers when he was young, she will need all the help she can get to control them" Frigga said slowly to keep her voice from shaking. Thinking of her lost son pained her greatly, and talking of him was even worse.

The day Loki had been brought back to Asgard, Frigga had felt as if she had lost part of herself. She couldn't stand the look of utter hatred she had seen on her young sons face as he had waited for his sentence to be given. She still visited Loki, but he never spoke. He simply sat and listened, not saying a word, not looking up to meet her gaze. Nothing. It was as if he didn't even care about his fate, anything or anyone.

Thor gave his mother a sad smile, wishing he could do something to help bring his family back together.  
"I think she could help him mother. She is one of his followers, and I believe she would be good for him. Amara is a wonderful woman, but she is young and inexperienced, she needs his help, and in return, she may be able to help him become the man he once was" Thor whispered, his eyes full of hope.

Frigga looked up at her eldest son, and felt her sadness drain away at the look of hope in her sons eyes. She did not speak, she merely smiled and led him towards the throne room, her heart beating rapidly at the thought of her youngest son becoming the quiet yet mischievous man he used to be again.

As the pair entered the throne room, they saw Odin standing around the table with his advisors, looking deep in thought.  
As they stepped forward, Odin looked up and gave his wife a small smile before dismissing his advisors and turning his gaze upon his son.

"My son, what is it that you seek?" Odin asked calmly, his voice holding no emotion. Thor looked over at his mother, who sent him an encouraging smile which gave Thor the strength he needed to speak.

"Father. I request that Loki be freed to help my team on Midgard. We have found a young woman who needs his guidance in magic" he said slowly. He knew this was risky to ask, but there was no other option. Amara needed to control her powers, and Loki was the only one who could teach her.

"Then tell me, my son. If Loki escaped, and wreaked havoc upon Midgard once more, would you be willing to do anything to stop him?" Odin asked, his voice stern. He had made many mistakes in his time, and he did not want to upset the delicate relations between Asgard and Midgard any further.

Thors jaw clenched and he nodded briskly. It pained him to think about what his father was implying, but he needed to be wary of Loki and what he could do.  
"Yes father I am. Lady Amara needs the help, and to be truthful, as do we. Loki knows the Chitauri better than any of us, he could provide useful information for us that would help us stop the Chitauri" Thor said, his eyes focusing on the table in front of him.

Odin thought for a moment before nodding.

"Very well. But some precautions must be taken, he shall not be allowed to leave your home on Midgard without being escorted by one of your team, and his powers shall be disabled any time he leaves that premises in which you and your team reside." He said sternly, and Thor let out a sigh of relief. He had expected an argument, and for his father to not allow Loki to leave.

"Thank you father, I shall go and speak to Loki immediately and tell him to ready himself to leave" Thor said before he left the room, heading towards the dungeons for the first time since Loki had been imprisoned there.


	8. The God of Mischief

Loki let out a sigh as he flipped through the pages of the book in his hands, his emerald eyes filled with disinterest and boredom. He had been locked in the prison for what seemed a millennia, and he had slowly felt what sanity he had left leaving him.

Odin had refused anyone the right to visit Loki, and the loneliness was slowly driving him insane. Of course, Frigga often visited without the Allfather knowing, bringing food that she knew he was fond of, new books that she thought would peak his interest, and informing him of what was happening in Asgard and the other realms. If he were to be quite honest, his mothers' visits were the one thing that he looked forward to during his miserable prison sentence.

She had never judged him, never spoke of what had happened on Midgard. She simply sat beside the fallen god, and allowed her mothering nature to shine through. It was probably because of Frigga that he was still at least partly sane. It warmed the raven haired mans heart that she still cared for him, even after everything he had done.

He heard the bang of the doors opening and sat up straight, his eyes widening as he heard the sound of heavy feet outside his cell, and let out a low growl as he realised whom the noise came from. He recognised the booming voice that echoed through the halls, and immediately sat up straighter.

The door to his cell opened and he saw Thor standing there, a large smile on his face.  
"Brother! I bring you good news. Father has agreed to release you" Thor said.

"And what does Your Father want in return? My unwavering loyalty? A collar around my neck so he may keep control of his Frost Giant trophy?" Loki rasped, his throat dry and sore from months without use, as even when his mother visited, he never spoke. Thors expression hardened and he stepped closer, sitting beside the man he called brother.

"No, and Father would never do that. He cares for you, even if you do not see it. It is I that requires your assistance. There is a woman on Midgard, with powers similar to your own, and she needs help to control them" Thor said as Loki reached for a glass of water, drinking from it slowly, one of his eyebrows raising as Thor spoke.

"And why would I help a lowly Midgardian?" Loki asked as he lowered the glass from his lips, a small smirk appearing on the younger gods face as he watched the Thunderer carefully.

Thor let out an exasperated sigh and shook his head, sending Loki a small glare before responding.

"She is one of your followers. I believe she is descended from those you gifted with magic many centuries ago" he explained, causing Loki to freeze. He remembered gifting mortals with powers similar to his own, however he did not think those powers would have passed down through their families.

"Then, it appears I have someone to take care of, does it not 'brother'?" Loki said, spitting out the word brother as if it were poison. Thor winced at the malice in Lokis voice but nodded, it was better than Loki not speaking to him at all, meaning they were making progress.

"Then come. Lady Amara requires your help, and you need to dress properly before you leave" Thor said as he stood, waiting for Loki as he stood slowly.

Loki watched Thor for a moment as he rose. He did not sense any trickery from the blonde haired oaf, and Thor could most certainly be annoying at times but for once, he was right. Loki needed to change his attire and bathe before he would be going anywhere.

Amara let out a sigh as she sat on the table, looking out the window as Bruce ran yet more tests on her. She noticed how the sky began to grow dark, and a low rumble echoed through the house. She let out a soft gasp as a cone of blue light shot down from the sky, almost blinding her as she watched. When the light faded, and her eyes had returned to normal, she was able to see two figures standing where the light had just been.

One was clearly Thor, his deep red cape making him easy to identify. The person beside him, however, caused Amara to gasp quietly. She could see a green cape rippling in the breeze, then the man that the cape was attached to looked up, as if he sensed her gaze and caught her eyes. His emerald green eyes ensnaring her very senses, leaving her incapable of looking away.

Loki watched the young woman, and felt a small shudder pass through him. He let out a low growl, his eyes flashing intensely as he watched her. He was unable to look away from this young woman, and that intrigued him more than anything. Even from this distance, he could feel the magic coiling around her, untamed and wild, coiled around her, waiting for a moment to break free. He would have made his way towards her there and then to confront the young enchantress, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him from taking another step forward.

"Brother, what is wrong?" Thor asked, his voice filled with concern, causing Loki to tear his gaze away from the woman at the window and turn it upon his brother. The intensity Lokis gaze caused Thor to step back involuntarily.

"Everything is fine Thor" Loki murmured before turning his gaze back to the window, only to discover that the maiden had disappeared, leaving him wondering just who he was dealing with. He stepped into the manor, and stumbled slightly as he felt a barrier of magic surround his own, letting out an involuntary hiss as he felt his magic fight against the barrier.

"I am sorry brother, I should have warned you. Father placed a spell on you so that you cannot leave without one of us being with you, and you cannot use your powers outside of this property" Thor said with an apologetic smile on his face.

Loki growled quietly before straightening up and continuing towards the sound of voices. It was clear that they were expected, and the Avengers were all gathered in the living room, and all went quiet as Loki and Thor entered.

They may have had their gaze on him, but Loki didn't even notice. He was entranced by the gaze of the young woman sitting beside the super soldier. Their eyes met, and Loki could barely hold in a gasp as he saw her. The magic was much easier to identify now, and the swirling green aura around the young woman responded to Loki appearing in the room. It sparked towards him, causing Amara to wince slightly, and Loki to smile.

No one, other than Loki, saw what transpired. They only saw the God who they had defeated not long before.

Amara turned red under Lokis gaze, and was just as entranced by the raven haired god as he was by her. She gulped and stood slowly, not really sure what she was doing until she was stood in front of the god that had tried to take over their world.

Loki let out a quiet sigh and closed his eyes for a moment, before opening them and giving the young woman a smirk.  
"So you are the woman who wishes to be trained by the God of Mischief?" Loki asked, his voice silky and deep. Amara gulped and nodded slowly, not trusting her voice.

Lokis voice sent a shiver up Amaras spine, and she felt like her knees were going to give way from his smooth accent. She barely managed to compose herself before Loki took her hand without warning, and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.

"I can sense the fire inside of you, hidden away. Teaching you my tricks will certainly be fun" Loki whispered, his eyes burning intensely with an unknown emotion. Amara blushed deeper than before, unable to move from her current position. Loki let out a gentle laugh before looking up at the rest of the Avengers, whose looks ranged from curiosity to disgust.

"Lady Amara and I need somewhere private so I may teach her without being disturbed, is there such a room in here?" Loki asked, his voice bored as he gazed at each person in the room.

"I guess the bunker downstairs could work. It's secure and private. It will stop anything that you two do from killing the rest of us" Tony said nonchalantly as he watched Amara with interest. Her reaction to Loki confused him, but left him wondering if there was something that the rest of them had missed.

The smirk that appeared on Lokis face unnerved Tony and caused the hairs on the billionaires' arms to stand up.  
"Then please Mr. Stark. Lead the way" Loki said coolly, his voice smooth and cold. Tony nodded and slowly moved, leading Loki and a clearly confused Amara towards the bunker, already wishing there was an alternative option they could have chosen.


	9. Friend or Foe?

As they arrived at the bunker, Amara watched as Loki inspected each part of the room. It wasn't long before the fallen god turned around and nodded to Tony.

"This shall suffice. You may now leave us" Loki said, his voice commanding all authority. Tony wasn't exactly pleased to be ordered about, and his gaze lingered on Amara for a few seconds before he turned to go.

Once the billionaire had left the room, Loki finally turned his gaze to Amara. She flinched under his harsh gaze as he examined her. She let out an involuntary shudder, she was not used to someone watching her in such a way.

"Well now Lady Amara. You aren't what you seem are you? Come. I want you to demonstrate your powers to me" Loki said firmly, and Amara moved obediently without thinking. The gods' voice commanded such authority that she automatically did as she was told.

She looked at Loki for a moment, who gave her an encouraging nod, then closed her eyes and focused on conjuring the fire she had created earlier. She felt the strain as her power tried to take control and a gasp escaped her as she collapsed to the floor, a thin sheen of sweat covering her face.

Loki didn't move to help her, he simply stood and watched.

"You concentrate too hard. You must learn to relax or your powers will consume, and possibly kill you" Loki scolded, causing the young woman to flush with embarrassment before she stood slowly, and try again. Amara closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, relaxing as much as possible and soon, she felt a warmth lapping at her fingers.

When she opened her eyes, she saw an unnatural green flame dancing on her hand, the flame licking across her fingers, but leaving no pain. Loki didn't say a word, and simply watched the young girl, examining how the fire had been created. Amara blushed slightly under the gods gaze before letting the fire go out.

She breathed in and looked around the room, choosing a spot before closing her eyes and willing herself to teleport to that spot.

Unfortunately, this power was harder to control, and she ended up five feet in the air directly above where she had intended, then fell to the floor as gravity took effect. Loki let out a sigh and narrowed his eyes, unsure of how to teach this woman.

"You concentrate too hard when you teleport. It should be as natural as breathing. Focus carefully on the location before teleporting. Remember to relax and breathe, otherwise you will tumble to the floor, and in battle, that is not good at all" Loki instructed, his voice firm yet gentle at the same time.

Amara nodded and stood slowly, still not trusting her voice. She closed her eyes again, focusing on what Loki had told her before trying again.

It took three more attempts before she was landing with barely a wobble, and it seemed that, to Loki anyway, that would do.

"Now, your control over this fire is far too tense. You must relax if you wish to control the fire. It is an extension of your own body. You must use your natural grace to help control it. Fire is not something that requires force to control, simply delicate nudges every so often." Loki explained as he stepped towards the young woman, repositioning her body to the correct stance.

"Balance your weight, otherwise anything could knock you over" Loki murmured, causing Amara to freeze as she realised just how close the dark haired god was.

She breathed in, trying to focus on Loki's words, and conjured a flame. She could feel herself tensing up immediately, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"You must relax" Loki said firmly. Amara let out a soft huff before trying to relax. The flame automatically responded, and became larger, yet more controlled. The fire responded to each movement that she made, following her gracefully as she bent it to her will.

She did not know how much time had passed when Loki told her enough, but she guessed they had been at work for at least an hour. She felt exhausted from the drain her powers caused her after such a significant use.

"The more you use your powers, the longer it will take for them to tire you out" Loki explained as he handed her a drink. Amara looked at the cup carefully, her eyes betraying her caution.

"Very good. Be cautious of those who offer you food or drink, as you do not know what they have put into it" Loki said before vanishing the cup, a small smirk on his face. Most would have drank from the cup, having been lulled into a sense of safety around him. The woman clearly had the ability to remember who people were, even if they were kind to her for a short while.

"Did you put something in that drink?" Amara asked curiously, causing Loki to raise an eyebrow. She had kept silent throughout their training, and it was only now she had worked up the courage to speak to the raven haired man.

"The cup contained a liquid that would have knocked you out for several hours, however your carefulness would have saved you in that situation. You must always be cautious, and never trust any food or drink you are given. As a sorceress, there are many potions that could render your powers useless for a length of time. Since you are young, your powers can be effected by these potions easily." Loki explained as he led the young woman back upstairs and to the kitchen.

"After each training session you must eat and drink to regain your strength. If you do not, you will be weaker, as you used most of your energy while training" The raven haired god said as he sat down.

Amara nodded before hunting through the cupboards for food. When she finally sat at the table, she had a sandwich and a glass of water, which were gone within five minutes. She had not noticed how famished she was.

She noticed how Loki watched her with an intense gaze, and the young woman looked away. Loki found the girl strange. Her grasp on her powers was large, and she clearly had a thirst for knowledge. Both were quiet for a while as Loki sized up Amara, thinking of ways that she could be trained.

He leaned back in his chair as he thought. While he was forced to be here, it did not mean that he wouldn't take advantage of being free. He would find a way to escape, and he hoped to take the young mortal woman who shared his abilities with him. Amara had a childlike innocence about her that made Loki interested. If he could bend her mind in the training sessions, then she would join him. But for now, he would wait, and be patient.


	10. Never Trust Anyone

Tony watched the footage of Amara training again, his brow furrowing as the video played. He didn't like the God that had thrown him out of a window being in his house. Hell, two years earlier he had never believed in any God, yet now there were two sitting in his house.

He let out a soft sigh and rested his head in his hands. He wished he could help Amara, but all he could do was sit back and watch as a man they couldn't trust was left in a room alone with the young woman. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't hear someone approaching, and jumped when he felt hands on his shoulders.

"Tony, what's wrong?" Pepper said softly, causing Tony to relax as he turned his chair and looked up at the woman he loved.

"I'm worried Pep. Loki is dangerous, but we left Amara alone with him. What if he does something to her?" Tony whispered. Pepper pressed a gentle kiss to her boyfriend's forehead and gave him a gentle smile.

"You care about her don't you? Is Tony Stark finally admitting he has a heart?" Pepper said with a small smirk. She ran her hands through his hair and stroked his cheek gently, wishing she could help.

"From what you told me over the phone she is a strong girl. She will be fine. Anyway, I think it's time I met her." Pepper said with a thoughtful look appearing on her face. Tony grumbled and stood slowly, pulling the woman in front of him into his arms. He nuzzled her neck gently and smiled.

"Before you do, I think I need some help with something" he purred quietly, causing a light blush to cover Peppers face. She rolled her eyes but smiled and kissed him gently as Tony pulled her towards their room.

As Amara looked out of the window in her room, she began to think back to her training with Loki. As much as it confused her, Loki turned out to be a brilliant teacher, one whom understood the needs of his student, and taught in a way they would understand. She let out a soft sigh and closed her eyes. She had managed to control her powers slightly, but it wasn't enough for the raven haired God. He wanted her to meditate before she went to bed.

She moved over to her bed and sat down, her legs crossed and closed her eyes, trying to force herself to relax. The god had told her that meditating every night was key to keeping her powers calm and from flaring out when she was emotional.

"You aren't relaxing" A voice purred from the other side of the room, causing Amara to open her eyes and jump up from her bed, a pillow in her hands. A laugh caught her off guard and she looked over to see Loki lounged back in the chair.

"Loki. What are you doing in here?" Amara asked, the annoyance clear in her voice as she lowered the pillow. Loki smirked and eyes the pillow carefully before looking back up at the young woman.

"I told you to relax, and you seemed to be struggling. I thought I could help" He said as he shrugged. Amara let out a growl before sitting on the bed, still glaring at the God. The pair stared at one another before Loki stood and moved towards the bed, sitting beside Amara. His gaze was still focused on her, although the smirk had not faded.

"What were you intending to do if i were here to hurt you? Beat me to death with a pillow?" Loki asked, his voice filled with sarcasm, but the smile that appeared on his face took the edge off. Amara shrugged and looked at the pillow in her hands.

"I just grabbed what was closest to me. I could beat you to death with it. That would, however, take a long time. And I'm not the type of person who would do that I don't like killing. "Amara said slowly, as if she were thinking.

The smile faded away and Loki gave the woman a scolding glare.

"Then you must learn to forget about your hatred for killing, as the enemy will not hesitate in killing you. They will use any advantage that they can get, and that includes a softness of your heart" The raven haired god growled. Amara flinched back slightly from the God, however before she could move, Loki grasped her arm with a vice like grip.

"Allowing yourself to relax around me was also a mistake. I am known as the God of Mischief and Lies, as well as the person whom tried to take over your world barely two years ago. I could kill you now, and your team mates would never know you were dead until tomorrow morning" Loki hissed, his eyes flashing dangerously.

Amara took in a deep breath, wishing she could back away from the god. She began to realise just what situation she had put herself in, by allowing the rogue God to sit in her room as she relaxed. She gently pulled her wrist back, out of Lokis grip and rubbed it gently. There were already white, long marks branded on her skin from the Gods hand.

"I may have let you in and relaxed around you, but it doesn't mean I was never being careful. Part of me knew that you were dangerous. But even if I were to stay alert around you, I would never be able to defeat you anyway, considering you are Asgardian, and I'm simply human" Amara said softly, her gaze travelling up to meet Lokis intense emerald glare. The man in front of her tensed at her words, and his gaze turned cold and vicious.

"Do not, call me an Asgardian. I am not one of those. I am not an Odinson, and I am not an Asgardian. I never was." Loki growled. His anger began to spike, but he knew the dangers of taking it out on the girl in front of him. He would need her help at a later date. He vanished from the room, teleporting into his own room and let out a low growl.

A rogue blast of magic shattered the long mirror in the corner of Lokis room as he appeared. He shook his head, trying to clear his anger. After the red haze of anger had faded, he looked over to the shattered mirror and waved his hand, repairing it. He lay back onto his bed as he thought, his eyes closed.

"I need to be more careful. If I wish for her help I cannot act cruel, nor can I act like I normally would." he muttered quietly. He knew that Amara was his ticket out of imprisonment, but he would rather have her on his side than have to force her to join him. Loki let his thoughts wander, his mind relaxing as he drifted off into a deep sleep.


	11. The Director of SHIELD

Director Fury was not a patient man. He didn't like waiting, and he didn't like not knowing things. Meaning when Tony Stark told him about a woman the Avengers found while out fighting, he wanted to meet her as soon as possible.

He let out a sigh and looked at the file in his hands. While he was a very powerful man, and the head of a powerful agency, he never liked bringing people into the problems the world was going through. Especially when they were barely into their twenties and had no experience in fighting.

He scanned through the file for the third time that day, analysing every detail he could find about the young woman in the care of the Avengers.

"Amara Riddle, aged 22. Lived in Norway for fourteen years until her parents divorced and she moved to England with her father. Studied Medicine and Engineering at University. Recently worked as an employee for a business firm in East London. Then she was found by the Avengers, and is now being trained by a God of Mischief that is back on our planet" Phil Coulson said, as he crossed his arms and looked over to the Director who glared at him.

"Why that damned God of Mischief has to be back in our realm I don't know. There is a large list of sorcerers here on Earth, including the Sorcerer Supreme. Why couldn't Stark have called one of them?" Fury growled as he rubbed his forehead. Phil let out a small laugh before answering.

"Apparently Loki gave powers to someone in Amaras family hundreds of years ago. The power apparently only showed in those whom proved worthy of having Lokis power. Loki himself didn't even realise this would happen. He is just as shocked as we are, however, he is probably intrigued by the fact that this happened. Thor said Loki was very selective about who he gave powers to. Especially out of the very few people who were his followers." Phil explained, then looked out of the car window as they pulled up.

Nick let out a sigh as he stepped out of the car and walked into the Avengers Manor. It wasn't that he didn't like visiting the Avengers, It was more that he would rather not spend time with Tony Stark.

"Director Fury, Agent Coulson. Welcome to Avengers Manor. The team, Miss Riddle and Mr Laufeyson are waiting in the living room. However it appears Miss Riddle and Agent Barton are not getting along that well" J.A.R.V.I.S said over the intercom, causing Nick to give Phil an exasperated glance.

"What the hell is your problem!? I haven't done anything to you yet you seem to have had a huge grudge on me when you found out where my powers came from!" Amara shouted as Nick and Phil walked into the room. Phil tried to hold in a snicker as he saw Amara and Clint standing, shouting at each other. Most would have backed down, terrified, if they were shouted at by Agent Barton, and for once, it was funny to see someone going toe to toe with the archer. However, the Agent could also see the problem that the Avengers were now facing, and he didn't miss Loki smirking in the corner.

"Alright. Calm the hell down and shut up. Both of you!" Fury growled as looked between the pair. Amara looked over at the director and shut up immediately, then stepped back towards the God of mischief, who looked far too proud of himself.

"Director. So nice to see you again. And Agent Coulson was it? I thought I had killed you two years ago" Loki said, an amused tone in his voice, and his eyes glinting with mischief. Everyone noticed Phil physically tense up at the mention of his 'death', and it was a few seconds before he replied.

"Reports of my death were greatly exaggerated" Phil said, his voice steady, but no one missed the cold glare he was sending the raven haired God, who merely laughed, an amused smirk on his face.

Clint looked over at Loki, then to the Director, who was gazing at Amara.

"Director. You can't really be sure about these two staying here? Who knows what they are planning?! They could have already planned to murder any of us" Clint said as he glared at Amara. The Director never even had the chance to speak before a loud 'crack' sounded, and the archer stumbled backwards, his eyes widened in surprise. The room was silent as everyone looked towards Amara, who had her had raised, her eyes burning with anger.

"I am getting sick and tired of your accusations! Do you have any idea what I have been through the past few days? I have watched my friends die around me and I have been forced to realise my life will never be the same again! So don't you 'dare' treat me like I am some monster. I looked up to you ever since I heard about your team, but now I see you are just an arrogant arse who doesn't care what anyone else has been through." Amara shouted, her voice breaking slightly. Loki was the first one to move, and pulled Amara away from the archer slowly.

It was only when they were out of the room that Loki looked at the young woman. It was the first time he had ever seen her react in such a way, so he wasn't surprised to see the tears on Amaras face.

"Why does that jerk think he can speak to me like that? What have I ever done to him? I mean, I barely know the guy!" Amara muttered as she wiped at her eyes furiously. She barely got angry enough to shout at someone, but Clints constant accusations had angered her enough to make her lash out.

Loki stayed silent as the young woman ranted, his mind replaying Amaras actions. There was certainly power behind the hit, and the Archer would end up with a large bruise that would be difficult to hide. Amara was a strange woman, one Loki was still trying to understand. Although, he had never been at all good with women, not that any woman ever looked at him, especially when Thor was there.

"Lady Amara. You must learn to control this anger. If you do not, it will control you. Remember, your powers are linked to your emotions, by letting your anger out like that, you could have harmed anyone in that room. Thor and I can heal quickly, as can the super soldier and the Doctor, but the rest of that team cannot" Loki murmured as he stepped towards the young woman, pushing a strand of hair out of her face gently.

"I apologise for my actions last night. Your words angered me, and I should not have taken that out on you" The God whispered slowly, his eyes softening as he gazed at the young sorceress. Amara looked up at the rogue God, and as much as she knew she shouldn't trust him, she found herself speaking before her mind could catch up with her mouth.

"You're forgiven. I shouldn't have mentioned your heritage. Thor told me not to and I was the idiot that brought it up. So I'm the one who should be apologising, not you. But then again, you did hurt my arm so you kind of need to apologise for that, but I also should have been paying attention to the fact that I had a deadly God in my room…" Amara began to say quickly, but stopped when Loki began to laugh. The young woman blushed and gave the God a small, nervous smile and muttered a quick sorry.

Loki was surprised. He had not laughed in that way for years. Yet a woman whom he barely knew could coax a real laugh and smile out of him. The woman confounded him even more, leaving him befuddled by the young womans charm.

Loki watched Amara smile and let out a soft chuckle.

"Come. I believe the Director wanted to speak to you" The raven haired God said with a small smile before taking the young sorceresses arm and leading her back into the living room, hoping all hell wouldn't break loose.


	12. The Talk

Saying that the tension in the room was high was an understatement. After Amara and Loki had re-entered the room, all eyes had turned to Clint. The archer sent a glare towards the pair as they sat down, but stayed quiet. While they had been outside talking, Steve had confronted Clint about what had been said. The soldier had wanted to say more, but Amara and Loki had entered the room, and the look Steve had sent Clint told the archer that he should expect more.

"Right. Now that you are all here I want to talk to you all about recent events. These Chitauri attacks have been growing. And now, we have someone who can help us." Nick said slowly as he gazed around the room at each person. When his gaze landed on Amara, he watched her for a few moments before nodding.

"Miss Riddle. We need you to help us stop these creatures. You think you could put your powers to use and help us? Help this world?" The Director said, his gaze never leaving the young woman as he spoke.

Amara leaned further back into her seat as the Directors gaze focused on her. Being tall already made Nick intimidating enough, which combined with the trench coat and the eye patch, as well as the deep voice, left the young woman nervous and barely able to speak.

"I- I don't know... I mean I'm not a fighter. I don't think I could help… kill. Even if it is those aliens that I would be facing" Amara stammered, her eyes darting across the room, pleading for help from anyone.

Luckily, Natasha was the one to speak, and her comment left everyone unsure of what to say next.

"Director. Amara can barely control her powers. She is going to need weeks, if not months of training before she can control them fully, let alone use them in a fight. She needs proper training, and even with Steve and myself teaching her, it will be a long time before she is capable of being sent out into the field." The red haired assassin explained. She sat with her arms crossed, her face neutral, but her eyes were daring anyone to speak against her. Phil let out a sigh and looked towards the Director, who turned his gaze to the resident doctor.

"Doctor Banner. Is Miss Riddle healthy enough to begin full training, and by that I mean joining you all while you train?" Nick asked the nervous man, who sent Amara a guilty look.

"Yes. She is healthy enough. But Director I-" Bruce began to say but he was cut off.

"Then she trains with you all. Each of you can teach her something different. I don't want to hear another word about it, and I'm giving you one month to get her ready for a mission. Agent Romanoff will keep me updated on Miss Riddles progress. And Agent Barton, Miss Riddle, stop fighting. Otherwise you deal with me." The Director said as he sent the two people a glare.

Clint nodded quickly before looking towards Natasha. He shook his head and sent her a small glare before standing and leaving the room. The rest of the team looked around at each other, not saying a word but seemingly communicating silently.

Nick looked around before nodding and handed Tony a file.

"We need you to look at these. Contact me once the plans are sorted. And get Amara a weapon. God knows she needs one until she can control her powers" The Director said before leaving the room, and heading back outside to the car. Phil sent Amara a small smile and patted her shoulder.

"Don't worry. He's always like that. That's his way of showing you he has some sort of emotions." Phil said, gaining a chuckle from the young sorceress. He quickly followed the Director out of the room, and the tension evaporated from the air as if it had never been there.

"Well. That was fun" Tony said with a smile, earning a few chuckles from his team mates, and even one from the God of Mischief himself. The group began to relax and soon enough, the television was on.

Steve stood up and looked towards Natasha.

"Where will Clint be?" He asked, a steely tone to his voice as he gazed at the red haired assassins, who merely raised an eyebrow.

"Try the roof. That's where he usually goes when he is angry" Natasha said before turning to Amara and trapping her in a conversation about weapons. Steve let out a quiet chuckle at the overwhelmed look on the young sorceresses face before leaving the room and heading up the stairs to the roof. He didn't need to look hard to see the archer leaning against the railing, looking out across the yard.

"If you've come to have a go at me, just get on with it" Clint muttered quietly, just loud enough for Steve to hear. The super soldier frowned and crossed his arms as he moved beside the archer.

"She's just a kid Clint. Stop being so hard on her. She didn't put you under mind control so stop blaming her for it. We are supposed to be the ones people look up to in times of trouble. I know you went through a lot when Loki controlled you, but she doesn't deserve your anger." Steve said quietly, his voice firm yet soft. He placed a hand on the archers shoulder.

"At least try to get along with her?" He asked, and the archer turned his gaze to the soldier. Clint let out a sigh and nodded stiffly before moving away to the doors.

"I'll try. But Steve, I still don't trust her. I'll be keeping an eye on her" The archer said slowly as he opened the door. He looked back at Steve who looked down, his arms crossed. Clint moved into the building and headed towards the training room. He rubbed his jaw and winced slightly as pain shot through the area.

"For someone so small, that girl has a very powerful slap." He muttered with a grunt.

When Tony had told Amara he had someone he wanted her to meet, she didn't think that a few hours later she would have been sitting across from Pepper Potts, drinking tea.

"So Tony tells me you're new to all of this?" Pepper asked as she sipped her tea. Amara gave the woman a hesitant smile and nodded. Pepper then surprised the young woman by moving across and pulling Amara into a gentle hug.

"Oh you poor thing. With everything you've been through you need time to yourself! Not being forced into training to fight those things." The older woman said softly. Amara was unsure of how to react to the hug, but soon found herself returning it. She wasn't used to physical contact but Pepper had a mothering nature. It was why all of the avengers spent time with her.

"I guess I could use some time away from all of this but…"Amara said with a sigh, unsure of what to say next.

"I want to help them. I really do. But I'm not a fighter. Fury said I have a month to train. How is that enough time when I'm not only learning to control my powers, but learning to use weapons and trying to get stronger?"

Peppers heart went out to the woman beside her, and she wanted nothing more than to take Amara somewhere safe. She gave the young sorceress a sad smile and shook her head.

"I know how you feel. When Tony and I got together, he wanted me to be able to protect myself. Juggling that and a multi-billion dollar business becomes very difficult. Fury has put you in a tricky situation, and don't think that I won't be having a word with him about this. Putting so much pressure onto you is ridiculous." Pepper muttered before taking another sip of her tea.

"Now since you'll be living with us, and you don't have anything other than what SHIELD gave you, we will need to get you some new clothes. And Loki will need some new clothes as well. We can't have him wearing that armour and cape all of the time now can we?" the older woman said with a chuckle. She pulled out a tablet and her face scrunched in concentration as she scanned through the information.

"We have time right now. Come on and get ready. If we go now we can beat the rush hour traffic" Pepper said, sending a smile to the young woman before returning to the tablet in her hands.

"Jarvis. Could you please inform Loki to meet myself and Amara in the front room? And tell him to wear some of the clothes that SHIELD brought him." Pepper said nonchalantly, as if organising a shopping trip for a god and a girl with magic was the norm for her. Once she was finished, she placed the tablet onto the table beside the cups. She stood and made her way out of the room, then waited for Amara to catch up before dragging the young woman towards the front doors.


	13. Shopping with a God

"Remind me again why must I accompany you on this absurd trip?" Loki growled as Pepper pushed another shirt into the large pile in the Gods arms. Pepper smiled as she scanned through the shirts in front of her. She threw another shirt to the god, who barely managed to catch it before the red haired woman turned around.

"To get you and Amara out of Clints way. And because you two need clothes that are nicer than what SHIELD gave you both." Pepper said. Amara let out a chuckle and rolled her eyes before looking to Loki, her own arms full of clothes that Pepper had picked out.

"Maybe we can make a run for it when she looks away" Amara whispered, causing Pepper to send her a glare. As the trio began to head to the changing rooms, Pepper began to explain to Loki how the clothes sizes worked. Loki nodded slowly, taking in every word the woman was saying.

He couldn't help but smile at the red haired woman as she spoke. She gave off a mothering nature that reminded him of Frigga. His heart panged slightly as he thought of his mother. While he was the God of Mischief and he was known by many on Midgard as evil, he missed his mother dearly. She had been the only one who had ever listened to him. She had taught him magic, and she was the only reason the he was still partly sane.

He glanced down at the mixture of clothing in his arms and let out a sigh. Most of the items were plain, yet there were the few that were extremely displeasing to his eye. It wasn't until Amara nudged him that he took into account where they were.

"Head in that room. Change into something and come out so Pepper can see how they look. She has better style advice than I do" Amara muttered to the god before heading into the changing room opposite and closing the door.

Loki looked around with interest, his eyes scanning the area. The finery of the room was elegant, although he had expected such considering Pepper had said the Iron Man shopped at the establishment often for casual clothing.

"How can one man take so long to try on clothes?" Amara groaned as she sipped from her bottle of water. Pepper, whose gaze was focused on the tablet in front of her, let out a laugh and looked up at the young woman.

"If you think this is bad, don't ever go shopping with Tony. He is usually in here for hours before he finds anything he likes" Pepper said with a smile. Amara opened her mouth to reply when the door of Lokis changing room clicked and he came out, his pile of clothing split into two piles, and one considerably larger than the other.

"I do not understand how you mortals can desire to wear these things. Although I did pick a few items that were suitable" Loki muttered as a woman collected the clothes he did not want. In his arms were a mixture of silk shirts, and mostly black jeans. The shirts ranged from black to deep green. Pepper smiled and put the tablet back into her bag before standing.

"Then let's go and pay." She said as she began to head towards the checkout. Amara and Loki followed the red haired woman before glancing at each other.

"Enjoying a normal 'Midgardian' day Loki?" Amara asked as she dumped her chosen clothes onto the counter. Loki let out a small huff and raised an eyebrow.

"This is entertaining to some mortals? How can clothing be so entertaining to some?" he asked the curiousness obvious in his voice as he placed his clothes next to Amaras. The young sorceress shrugged before turning to face the God.

"Truthfully, I don't know. Many people find it soothing but I think it's just stressful. When I lived in England, before any of this, I only bought new clothes when I really needed them." Amara explained as the God nodded slowly.

Loki couldn't believe how mortals found clothes shopping soothing. To him it was mostly annoying, and an unnecessary task. He could have easily conjured his clothing, however he decided to humour the two women by allowing them to take him shopping. However, he was now wishing he hadn't. And unfortunately for him, the day was not even nearly over.

"Alright. I have some things that I need to pick up from here, so we can have lunch now or after. Your call" Pepper said as she led the pair out of the shop. Amara though for a moment before looking over at Loki, who was busy staring at the shops surrounding them, clearly confused and overwhelmed.

"Loki won't have a clue about food here. How about That jacket potato shop? It's healthier than anywhere else." Amara explained as she looked back at Pepper, and Loki gave her a relieved nod. He had no clue about eating customs o Midgard, but it would seem he would need to know about them.

Pepper nodded and looked up at the shop Amara was pointing to, then headed inside, the two mages following her quickly.

After a quick meal and a visit to a few more shops to buy other things they would need to survive living with the Avengers, Pepper, Amara, and Loki finally arrived back at Avengers manor, where the two mages collapsed onto the couches, exhausted.

For Amara, it had been a long time since she had done such a large shopping trip for clothes, and for Loki, he had never had to deal with shopping for clothes, as he could conjure them, or before he fell the servants would have brought him new clothes.

Tony glanced over at the pair, and let out a snort as he made his way over to them both, and pulled out two Stark phones. He sat beside Amara and handed one phone to her, and the other to Loki.

"These are in case you need to contact any of us, including Fury and Phil. That goes for both of you. Oh and Amara, Steve asked for you to meet him at five for training." Tony said with a grin. Amara and Loki both looked at the phones in their hands, and immediately began to fiddle with them.

Amara glanced around the training room, wondering where Steve was. She let out a sigh and closed her eyes for a moment as she thought of everything that had transpired within the past two weeks. She opened her eyes again and looked down at her hands with a look of disdain filling her eyes. She wished for nothing more than for her life to return to how it used to be. She was so busy thinking of her past, that she didn't notice Steve enter the room, and let out a gasp as she felt herself be pushed against the wall. She looked up, wide eyes at the super soldier, who gave her a small smile.

"You were so busy thinking that you didn't notice me come in. You need to be aware of your surroundings at all times. I'm sorry I had to do that, but I had to prove a point." Steve explained as he let the young woman go.

"Now, are you ready to train?" Steve asked and Amara grinned as she moved into a defensive stance, and their training began.


	14. Problems with the Press

**Problems with the Press**

Amaras training had continued at a brisk pace. Her mornings were spent with Steve in the gym, followed by weapon handling lessons from Natasha. As she had never used a gun before, Natasha started by teaching Amara the basics. Once lunch was over, Amara would join Loki in the bunker for magic training.

The Avengers weren't too happy about Amara and Loki being in the bunker all afternoon, especially when she needed training in other areas. But Loki had argued that her control over magic was far more important, and therefore, she needed more time to practice controlling it.

The activities soon became a routine, and Amara began to get used to the early morning rises. The training had, at first, taken a toll on her body. The first day of training left her exhausted and she had fallen asleep on the couch that night. However, with each day that she trained, her stamina, strength, and speed had increased dramatically.

As Fury had wanted, Amara was quickly given a weapon. Now, Amara went nowhere without the AF-1 handgun strapped to her side. While she was proficient in its use, she was more interested in the small selection of daggers that Natasha had shown her, meaning she had some strapped to the inside of her jacket, and, at Natasha's request, more of the same knives were hidden on her person.

"Simply a precaution." Natasha had said as she showed the young woman where to keep the knives. It took Amara a few days to get used to the knives placed in her boots. It turned out that Natasha had knives hidden everywhere, not just on her person, but throughout the house.

The routine was quite easy for the young woman to follow, and she was beginning to enjoy the training.

Her identity was not safe though. It had been discovered by the press that often spied on the Avengers, and they published photos of her and Steve on their morning run.

There was much speculation of who she was. Starting with a new member of the Avengers, and slowly turning to more embarrassing speculations, such as her being Tony's daughter from a one night stand, or even a love interest of one of the heroes. Tony found the entire situation hilarious, but assured Amara that if she wanted her identity protecting, she could say she was his daughter. The young woman had merely blushed at the thought and shook her head.

Soon, Amara couldn't go out of the manor without being caught by the press, who seemed to be wanting any information they could get their hands on.

"This is getting ridiculous. Can't you do something about it? I can't even go to the café around the block for a coffee without them questioning me!" Amara groaned as she slumped down at the table. She rested her head on her arms and closed her eyes.

"It'll only get worse until they find out who you are. It's best to just arrange an interview and tell them. They will back off then." Clint said as he ate. He and Amara had come to a mutual agreement, and both were trying to get on better, although Clint still wasn't fond of Loki.

Amara thought for a second before shuddering and shook her head.

"I… I don't do too well in, public situations." Amara muttered nervously, getting a small chuckle out of the God beside her. Loki smiled at her and the grin only got wider as Amara sent him a glare as well as a few choice words.

"Ooh touchy little mortal. I don't think a lady should use that kind of language" Loki said with a laugh. Thor sent his brother a disapproving look before shaking his head.

"Lady Amara, I believe Clint is correct. The simplest way to be rid of the attention is to hold an interview. I am sure Stark could arrange it" Thor said with a gentle smile. Tony didn't even look up from his tablet, and merely nodded.

"Sorting it now. Oh, looks like the press already have a name for you too. Dreadnite. That's catchy." Tony smirked. Amara looked up with wide eyes and shook her head.

"No no no. I am not being called Dreadnite!" She proclaimed vehemently, her eyes narrowing as she spoke. Tony snickered and ruffled the young womans hair affectionately before giving her a genuine smile.

"Hey, at least it sounds cool. The press aren't very good at coming up with names. I mean, Captain America, The Hulk, and Iron Man? At least it isn't too bad" The genius said before looking back down at the tablet in his hands.

Five hours later, Amara found herself at a press conference with the rest of the Avengers, and her nerves were at an all-time high as they waited back stage. She snuck a glance at the team and gulped as she saw how casually they were acting. She hated any social event, and being put on stage for every camera to see had her nerves skyrocketing.

"You ready kiddo?" Tony asked as he linked her arm with his, a small smile on his face before he leaned down slightly to her level.

"Don't think about the cameras. Forget they are there. Each time someone asks you a question, make yourself believe it is just you and that person. We will all be up there with you, and I'll be doing most of the talking. You just need to answer questions and look pretty. Now, take a deep breath. We are about to head on stage." Tony murmured quietly so only she could hear.

Amara nodded quickly and the team made their way out onto stage. The moment they reached the microphone, questions were being flung from every direction, and Amara felt like a deer caught in the headlights.

Tony quickly took charge, as he was the only Avenger who didn't mind dealing with the press. A charming smile appeared on his face, but Amara could see the guarded look behind his eyes.

"Hey everyone. Thanks for coming on such short notice. As you all know, a woman has been seen at Avengers Manor, and we want to let you all know who she is so our lives can go back to normal. Amara Riddle is a new addition to our team and a great asset. She is still training so you can understand why she is nervous about being here." Tony said, the smile still in place. Every Journalist was writing down what Tony was saying, and soon enough, the questions started.

"Mr Stark! Miss Riddle isn't known to anyone. How do you know she can be trusted with keeping us safe?" A journalist shouted out, and Amara was sure the smile on Tony's face faltered.

"I know she can be trusted because I saved her from the Chitauri in London. Amara is just a young woman coming to terms with her new abilities, and she is learning how to control them. In time, she will be just as much a part of this team as the rest of the Avengers are." Tony said with a steely tone.

The questions continued on a similar path for a while, until the first journalist once again spoke up.

"Why can't we hear from Miss Riddle herself? Surely she can defend her own action and tell us who she is herself?" The journalist said slowly, and Amaras gulped at the thought. She looked up at Tony hesitantly who nodded, his eyes telling her 'just get it over with'.

She stepped up to the microphone and looked around at the crowd before answering the journalist.

"Sorry. I'm just not very good with social situations. I much prefer standing in the background" she said with a small chuckle, gaining a few laughs from the audience.

Her nerves began to ease away, as the questions were mainly focused on who she was. She answered each one of them quickly, and holding back any information that they had decided shouldn't be public.

"Miss Riddle. There are no 'magic' wielders in the Avengers. Who is training you?" a reporter asked calmly, her pen at the notepad in her hands. The Avengers had been expecting this question and Amara was ready for it.

"I am being trained by a friend of Thors from Asgard. He is pretty good with magic but would prefer not to be seen on television and keep his identity secret." Amara answered calmly. Soon enough, and to Amaras relief, the questions were over and the team was allowed to leave the stage, with Amara breathing deeply as they made their way to the vehicle waiting for them.

"Never again" She muttered as she rested her head against Steves shoulder. The super soldier looked down at her and let out a small chuckle before shaking his head.

"You'll have to deal with the press a lot. Not as bad as that but, it sometimes does get quite bad, especially if we are out alone. They think that we are easier targets when we are alone" Steve confessed. The young woman groaned and narrowed her eyes at the thought before leaning back in her seat.

"You know, I knew the press liked you all, but I never realised how much. It quite… intimidation how they want each little detail of your life to put on display" Amara said slowly, her mind still reeling from the interview. Most of the team sent her small smiles, and Clint merely nodded. It wasn't as comforting as the smiles from the rest of the team, but it was a start.

She and Clint were getting on better after she had begun to prove herself, and Clint had apologised for his behaviour, leaving the pair in neutral ground for where they stood. They were not friends, nor were they enemies. Allies, was one word that could be used. Allies with the same goal.

They had only just stepped in the door when Steve got a call on his phone. His face turned grim as he answered, and his eyes quickly flicked to Amara before he hung up.

"Everyone get changed. The Chitauri are attacking San Diego. We need to get there now. And Amara, You're coming with us" Steve said in a grave voice.


	15. The Battle of San Diego

**The Battle of San Diego**

Amara looked around at the sombre expressions on the faces of the Avengers as they flew towards San Diego. The young girls heart was pounding, and not because they were flying in a Quin-Jet. The thought of being on a battlefield terrified her. She looked down and tugged at the sleeves of her uniform. SHIELD had provided her with a bullet resistant uniform similar to Natasha's, except hers wasn't as form fitting which relieved Amara.

Hers also had a dark green lining and the suit itself was dark blue, and there was no SHIELD logo on her suit. What really unnerved her was that it fit her perfectly, and she still hadn't met anyone from SHIELD other than Natasha, Clint, Phil and Nick.

The Quin-jet shuddered as the Chitauri fired the first shots at them. Amara heard Clint mutter about shields holding, and she closed her eyes, her stomach beginning to turn as the Quin-jet rocked from each hit, her face turning slightly green.

"Are you alright Amara?" Steve asked the young girl as he sat beside her, his eyes filled with concern. His question caused eyes to focus on the pair, and Amara shook her head quickly.

"I hate planes. I always have" She muttered quietly as she tightened her grip on her seat, her knuckles turning white. She let out a groan as the jet shuddered again. She heard Clint let out a chuckle, and he moved his gaze to her.

"Do you want a bucket?" Clint asked with a grin and she opened her eyes to send him a glare. As they landed, Amara let out a sigh of relief and rested her head in her hands. She felt a hand rub her back soothingly and a bottle of water was pushed into her hands.

She took a long drink and shook her head before standing up and giving Natasha a smile of thanks as she followed the rest of the Avengers out of the Jet. Amara looked around at the city of San Diego and shuddered at the destruction she saw. The Chitauri had entered the city barely an hour ago, and there were already buildings crumbling and falling to the ground.

Steve glanced around began to give out orders to the team, who were standing by and awaiting the captains orders. Bruce had already changed, and the large and green Hulk had taken his place.

"Stark, get in the air and take out as many of those things as you can. Put Hawkeye somewhere high too. We need eyes in the sky pronto. Hulk, smash as many of those things as you can. Thor, light them up and fry them. Natasha and Amara, you two are with me on evacuation. We need to get as many people out as we can. Our priority is protecting civilians and killing these bastards. You see one of those things nearby, you take it down. Everyone understand?" Steve ordered, his voice firm and clear. His eyes held a determined look in them, as everyone began their jobs.

With Clint atop One American Plaza, they had eyes where they needed them at the Waterfront, and he began to feed information to the rest of the team. Amara, Natasha and Steve began to make their way towards a group of civilians that Clint had mentioned when a wave of Chitauri soldiers blocked off their path to the civilians.

Amara sprinted behind the nearest building as the Chitauri opened fire, and breathed in heavily. Her body was racing with adrenalin, and her mind was working through the training. A short three weeks weren't enough training to truly do damage in hand to hand combat, but her magic was stronger. She closed her eyes for a moment before breathing in deeply, then tapped the earpiece.

"Steve! I need you and Natasha to create a distraction so I can get into a position to cast a spell. I can take out a good lot of them but it will take time to charge up. Think you can help?" Amara gasped as she pulled out her gun and shot at the Chitauri who had rounded the corner. She ducked and rolled behind a car as the soldier fired at her, the blast colliding with the building where her head had just been. Her shot had hit the soldiers' leg and Amara let out a curse before looking around the car to see he was still standing.

She leaned back against the car and focused, muttered a few words quietly, and a small ball of fire appeared in her hand, she moved and aimed the fireball at him and threw the green ball of fire. When it made contact, the fire ball exploded, blasting the Chitauri soldier back and he hit a wall with a resounding thud. Amara winced as she heard bones crunch, and the soldier landing in a heap on the ground, then ceased to move.

The young woman moved around the car and back to the street where she saw Natasha and Steve fighting furiously, and providing her with the distraction that she needed. She moved out into the road and began to mutter a spell that Loki had taught her. It took much of her concentration to simply charge the spell, and then she had to project it towards the enemy.

The magic began to spiral around her in a cone, the usual green of her magic gone and replaced by a deep amber that grew bigger by the second. It fed down towards her hands, where it began to curve into a sphere. Once the sphere had grown in size, Amara flicked it towards the largest group of soldiers. It travelled towards then quickly, leaving the Chitauri no time to escape from the deadly amber magic.

The magic engulfed the soldiers and the sphere expanded, trapping them all inside. The magic simply cut off their air supply, and left them unable to breathe. One by one, the Chitauri tried to break through the barrier, only to see their blasts ricochet back towards them. By the time they were all dead, Natasha and Steve had dispatched the last of the soldiers and the three of them finally made their way to the civilians. Amara felt weak. Loki had told her the spell would drain her energy, but she hadn't though holding it for so long would exhaust her that much. She stumbled towards Steve and Natasha, who both threw her looks of concern before she shook her head.

"Just leave me for a second. I'm fine. Focus on anyone who needs help" Amara growled through clenched teeth as she leaned against a pillar for support. Her eyes scanned the surrounding area, and her heart hardened as she saw bodies scattered through the city, and the devastation of London flashed back through her mind. She shook her head quickly, trying to rid herself of the image. She needed to focus on keeping the people left alive safe. Because what was the point of defending a city if everyone living there were already dead?

As they began to get the people moving, Amara, Steve and Natasha received word from Clint that more Chitauri soldiers were on their way, and the three braced themselves for another round. Amara took a deep breath before moving behind a car that would provide cover. Some of her strength had returned, and she prayed to any god that would listen that it would be enough.

Tony was flying above the smoking city, his eyes scanning everywhere for Chitauri soldiers. The battle was turning their way, and the Chitauri were retreating quickly. He, Thor and Clint were picking off the final few soldiers as the last of them disappeared. Tony hovered in the air for a moment before flying back to the ground.

"So, Captain. How did you manage? Any causalities down here?" he asked as the face of his mask lifted. His eyes scanned the area quickly, and they became as cold as steel when he saw the lifeless bodies of those who had not survived the Chitauri onslaught. Steve followed the man's gaze and grief flashed through his eyes.

"They were dead before we got here. We did what we could for everyone else, but we were too late for these ones." Steve said quietly. His eyes travelled over to Natasha and Amara, who were delivering first aid to any who required it before his gaze turned towards Thor, who had just landed and brought Clint down from his perch. The city was eerily quiet as the team began clean up. They hunted throughout the city to find any sign of survivors. Some were found uninjured, but the numbers of injured civilians began to rise drastically, and soon the Avengers needed to call in the SHIELD medics to take care of those in critical conditions.

Anyone with minor injuries found themselves being treated by Bruce (who had been given a set of clothes by a passing SHIELD agent), Natasha, and Amara. The three worked hard to treat each person that they could, and it was a relief for the Avengers when paramedics began to arrive on scene.

Amara stood slowly, her head spinning slightly and she shook herself quickly. Even in training, her powers had never exhausted her that much, and she was currently running on reserve energy to keep her going. One thing she couldn't wait to do was to scrape the grime and blood from her body, and try and forget the images of those that they were too late to save. She shuddered and closed her eyes for a moment as she collected her thoughts.

Nothing that the Avengers had told her had prepared her for the battle. Nothing in the training mentioned the bone numbing guilt that rushed through her veins every time she saw another body laying still, nor could her training have prepared for the physical strain that had been put on her, both physically and mentally.

While the Chitauri clearly were not human, they were still beings, and it made Amara retch to think how she had killed most that had come her way. The stench of blood and grime covered everything, and it had filled her senses the moment she had stepped off of the Quin-jet, and now she couldn't smell anything else.

Her eyes trailed to the ground as they began their journey back to Avengers Mansion, but didn't focus on anything in particular. The flight didn't bother her either, but her mind was too conflicted to hold any rational thoughts of how she didn't like flying. How was flying on a plane for a while comparable to men and women losing their lives because their home had been attacked?

None of the team spoke as on the journey, their minds all in a similar place to the young sorceresses. It was a sombre team that greeted Loki, Jane and Pepper. Jane had been brought to the mansion for safety while the team had been fighting, and both Pepper and Jane seemed to know what to do. They began to herd the team to their rooms, and sent them to get washed with the promise of warm drinks to follow.

Amara found herself staring into the mirror in her bathroom. She barely recognised herself lately. Her training had added muscle to her body, and toned it. Her uniform was in tatters. A gash through the material travelled from her shoulder to her waist, but the attack that had caused the damage had barely injured her. She wasn't bothered that she had been out and exposed in such a way, her mind was more focused on the blood splattered on her face, and gaunt, sombre look that marred it.

Her hair had fallen out of the bun she had tied it up in for the battle, and now hung loose by her face. Her deep brown eyes which usually sparkled with life had lost their usual bright spark, and were replaced by a look of cold, hard steel that held no emotion. The bags around her eyes made her look gaunt, and her narrow jawline didn't help much either. A bruise was blossoming just below her cheekbone, and a small gash ran across her forehead.

She barely thought as she stripped out of her clothes and stepped into the scalding hot shower. The water began to relax her muscles, and it washed away the blood that stained her body. She watched absently as the water ran red, and then slowly began to fade to a light pink before returning to its normal clear. She stayed under the shower for ten minutes, and then wrapped a towel around herself and padded into her room. She dried herself and pulled out an old t shirt and a pair of pants before slipping them on, and began to absently dry her hair as she sat in front of the dressing table.

She didn't want to think, because thinking meant she would see _them_ again. The bodies of those she hadn't saved. A shiver passed through her body and she closed her eyes tightly. It was a quiet knock on her door that broke her out of her stupor, and she heard herself mumble a quick 'come in' before the door opened and she saw Loki standing there, his arms folded as he leaned against the doorframe.

"I hear you over exerted yourself today" was all the God of Mischief said, his tone low, yet soothing. Amara met the gods' eyes and shrugged before she turned back to the mirror attached to the dresser, and picked up her hairbrush.

"I'm fine. I just need to work on controlling it a bit better. A few more training sessions and I should be fine" she muttered in reply as she began to tug the brush through her wet hair. Loki watched with a mild interest as the young woman repeated the same motion over and over again. It was only when he noticed her shaking hands that he did make his way over and remove the brush from her grip.

"Was this the first time you have been on a battlefield since London?" Loki asked quietly, his voice barely above a whisper as he began the repetitive task of pulling the brush through Amaras hair. She hadn't even put up a fight when he had taken the brush, but Loki felt her muscles tense as he spoke, and a quick nod of her head proved his assumptions correct.

"You would have to be heartless to kill without remorse. That the Chitauri were targeting children who had no chance of defending themselves sickened even me. What you are feeling is natural. Your body had created adrenalin to keep you going during the fight, and now you are feeling the after effects. The numbness, however, is just you shutting yourself off so you won't feel any pain." He explained quietly as the brush skimmed through Amaras hair. Once the god was done, he placed the brush onto the desk and lifted the girl into his arms with ease before placing her gently onto her bed. He made to leave when a hand shot out and grabbed his arm in a gentle, yet vice like grip.

His eyes turned to the young woman, and he waited for her to speak.

"Please. Stay" She whispered, her voice broken and childlike. Loki felt torn. He was not one that people went to for comfort, mostly because he hadn't a clue how to comfort someone, yet something was drawing him towards the young woman that made him want to stay.

It barely took the god half a second to make up his mind, and he waved his hand to remove everything but his pants and climbed into the bed beside the young woman before pulling her towards him, Amaras head resting on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist and stared down at the young woman in his arms.

He hadn't a clue what had made him react to her needs in such a way, but he was starting to think he might want to help this young woman more than he wanted to use her. Amara, however, was unaware of Lokis troubled mind, and closed her eyes, slowly drifting to sleep as she listened to the thrum of The Tricksters heart.


	16. Coping With the Pain

**Coping with the Pain**

As the sun began to rise over Avengers mansion, most of the team began to get up and make their way to their usual morning activities. However, a few still remained in their beds. One was Tony Stark. He rarely woke before ten on a good day, and given the events of the day before, he would most likely stay in his room until the need for food drew him out.

The other people still asleep were Amara and Loki. Loki had not moved from Amaras bed, and for a few hours he had remained awake, simply thinking. Soon, though, sleep had claimed him, and the Gods subconscious was adamant about remaining asleep. However, the orange rays of sunlight peeking through the large glass windows began to travel further into the room, and soon, the warmth of the sun stirred the god. He opened his eyes and let out a groan of pain. He blinked a few times, hoping his eyes would adjust to the bright morning sun.

It was only as his eyes adjusted that he realised he was not alone. He looked down to see a mass of brown hair. Memories of the night before began to run through his mind, and he let out a low chuckle. His arms were wrapped around the young girls' waist, and her head was tucked under his chin. The sunlight draped lazily across the pair, lighting up Amaras hair, and highlighting the different shades of her hair.

Her hair was such a dark brown, that it was almost black, yet in the early morning sun, her hair seemed to light up and glow. Loki smiled at the young woman and let out another chuckle. The vibration of the laugh stirred Amara, and she let out a groan as she opened her eyes, quickly closing them and burying her head into Lokis chest.

It took the young woman a few moments to work out that it was not her mattress she was lying on, and she slowly looked up at the god, who smiled at her lazily as his hand ran through her hair.

"Good morning. Sleep well?" Loki purred with a mischievous grin. Amara let out a small yelp and she jumped up and away from the trickster. Unfortunately, she moved too far, and landed on the wooden floor of her room with a resounding thud.

Loki watched her carefully, his eyes lit up with amusement as he turned on his side to watch her.

"Remind me to not fall out of bed again" Amara groaned as she stood slowly. She winced and rubbed the base of her back before sitting on the bed. He heard a small laugh and sent a glare towards the God.

"What's so funny?" she asked as she narrowed her eyes. Loki sat up and raised his hands, the grin still pride of place on his face, but he made an attempt to feign innocence.

"Nothing is funny my dear. Your reaction to me sharing your bed was comical, and I must say I found it, entertaining." Loki purred quietly, purposely moving closer to Amara.

"Although I do feel slightly hurt that you would leave my company so quickly, for what I had guessed, you seemed to enjoy using my chest as a pillow. And to be truthful, I would not mind it happening again" he murmured. A delighted smile appeared on his face as Amara turned red, her eyes widening as she stammered out an excuse.

"I… I was n-not cuddling you. I w-was..." she sputtered and trailed off as she looked down in embarrassment. Loki let out a soft laugh and placed a finger under her chin, forcing her head up and her to meet his gaze.

"I do not doubt that you had no intention of that happening in normal conditions, yet you needed the comfort did you not? Who was I to refuse a woman in need? I give you my word that nothing inappropriate would ever happen if you wished for me to comfort you at night. However, if you decided that you needed your… base desires quenching, I would be more than happy to provide assistance" Loki murmured quietly, causing the blush upon Amaras face to deepen even further and she opened her mouth to retort. Loki grinned and quickly cut her off.

"Hush little one. Just keep my offer in mind. You should rise and greet the rest of your team. I am sure they are already concocting some rumours that I am corrupting you with my silver tongue, in more ways than merely speaking" Loki joked before he headed towards the bedroom door and opened it to find Steve standing there, his hand raised to knock. The soldiers' eyes widened as he took in the situation, and his mind began to jump to the first conclusion.

Amara could almost see the wheels spinning in Steves head, and she quickly raised her hands and shook her head, but Loki once again cut her off.

"If you'll excuse me Captain. I believe I must find some appropriate attire" Loki said with a chuckle as he stepped through the doorway and headed to his room. Steve watched the trickster go before stepping into Amaras room, his eyes landing on the young sorceress who opened her mouth to speak.

"Steve. I did not sleep with him. He was only here because I needed company after yesterday" She said quickly, her already red face becoming a deeper shade than it already was. Steves face took on a small blush as well, and he offered Amara a nervous smile.

"I understand. But next time, please ask someone else. I don't like that he is alone with you for so long every day as it is. The way he looks at you, it's creepy as hell." Steve said with a shudder. Amara gave the soldier a small smile as she stood and patted him on the arm.

"You don't need to worry Steve. If he tries anything, I'll kick him in the groin. It wouldn't be the first time I've had to deal with a guy wanting something and not taking no for an answer." she said calmly, and Steves eyes widened at the realization of Amaras words. Amara shrugged and crossed her arms as she met Steves gaze.

"A guy in my engineering class at school thought he could do anything he liked, and since I was the only girl in the class, I was where his perverted little mind went to every day. I told him to back off and he refused. He tried to touch me inappropriately so I kicked him where it hurt. Then I was the one who got detention as the teacher said, and I quote 'You must have done something to make him think that was fine, and your clothing is inappropriate so he couldn't help himself'. I pretty much called the teacher a sexist bastard and called the police, they dealt with the guy and the teacher, who was sacked. That was five… no, six years ago now." She explained slowly. She shook her head and smiled.

"That must have been horrible" Steve whispered, and he was surprised when Amara laughed.

"Thing is, the teacher hated me and most of the students anyway, so I was the champion of the school for a while. It actually made me who I am today. I won't stand for a guy touching me inappropriately, nor will I stand for verbal abuse being thrown at me" Amara said with a smile. She patted Steve on the cheek before moving to her dresser and hunting through it.

"I'll be down in a bit, just need to get changed. Save me some food yeah?" she called over her shoulder as she headed into the bathroom. Steve smile softly and let out a chuckle before shaking his head and leaving her room, shutting the door behind him.

Breakfast that morning was quiet. Tony had peeked in at one point, but had merely grabbed a slice of toast before locking himself away in his workshop. Natasha, Thor, and Steve had already ate and were training in the gym, Loki was still in his bedroom, most likely reading, and Bruce had headed into the lab to keep himself focused. That left Clint and Amara at the table, who occasionally glanced at each other.

"Clint?" Amara asked quietly. The archer looked up from his breakfast. They hadn't spoken much since the fight, and this was the first time they were in a room alone together.

"How do you guys cope with it? Knowing that there were people that you couldn't save?" She asked, her voice hesitant. Clint thought for a moment before he answered the young sorceress.

"Honestly? We all cope differently. Tony locks himself away and improves his suits, Bruce tries to absorb himself in research, and Thor, Natasha and Steve train. I usually just sit outside on the roof. What Tony has come to affectionately call, 'my nest'" Clint explained slowly. Amara nodded and looked down, her mind running through the information that the archer had given her.

"So you block out the pain. You focus your mind on something else so I doesn't hurt as much." Amara said slowly, nodding at the same time.

"I don't understand if it's because it brings memories back for them. I mean, Steve, Natasha and Thor have all seen battlefields. Bruce gets flashes from when he transforms, and Tony… He got kidnapped for a few months. You got any idea how you'll deal with those memories?" Clint asked as he ate. His eyes never left the young woman, and he gave her a small smile.

"Not really. I used to do fencing back in Norway and that focused my mind so I didn't really have to think. Something like that would probably help" She mused, tilting her head back and staring at the ceiling as she let out a sigh.

"Get up and follow me" Clint said as he stood. He picked up his bow and strapped the quiver to his back. Amara watched apprehensively for a moment before following him. He led her out to the shooting range and motioned for her to wait as he headed into the shed.

A few moments later led to a triumphant shout and he exited with a variety of bows in his arms.

"Natasha says you are right eye dominant, so you get a right handed bow. Due to your height, a smaller bow would be best. Not we just need to work out the poundage you need" Clint explained, leaving Amaras mind reeling. It was only when she found a bow in her hands that her mouth finally moved.

"You are going to teach me?" She asked incredulously. Clint rolled his eyes and gave her a small smile.

"Well I'm not teaching you how to skydive am I? He said sarcastically, his laugh relaxing the young woman. Clint immediately moved into instructor mode, and began teaching Amara how to hold the bow, as well as how to stand when firing. Once she had that down, they moved onto the poundage of the bow.

"Alright. This is the fun part. We need to match the strength of the bow to your strength so you can get the best use of it. We'll try a 35 pound bow to start with and then move higher or lower if need be" he explained, and the pair once again got to work.

Two bows later and Amara was holding 30 pound bow, and had a quiver of arrows strapped to her back. Clint showed her how to nock the arrow, and she copied quickly. With the arrow nocked, she drew it back so her fingers were beside her mouth and looked down the arrow, her breathing steady. Clint gave the order to release, and she let the arrow fly. She watched as it sped towards the target.

And landed on the inner white ring. Disgruntled, she looked towards Clint who let out a small laugh.

"You didn't compensate for wind. The arrow was blown away from the target. It's a normal beginner's mistake, I even did it at one point, although I will never admit to that again. This time, to compensate for the wind, aim to the right of the target around the white area." Clint said encouragingly. Amara nodded and once again took to her stance. She drew the bow back and aimed to the right of the centre of the target. She released and watched once more as the arrow sailed towards the target and this time, hit the inner red segment.

Amara grinned and let out a small whoop as she turned to Clint. The archer looked at the target and nodded slowly.

"Not bad kid. We'll make an archer out of you yet. Good job." he said with an encouraging smile. Amara let out a laugh before turning back to the target, determined on hitting dead centre. Before she could draw her bow, however, another arrow hit the target with a resounding thud in the very centre of the target. Amara turned to see Clint lowering his bow, her eyes wide as she grinned excitedly.

"Can't let you have all the fun now can I?" Clint said as he moved to aim at the target beside her.

Amara gave Clint a grin before once more focusing on her target, and letting loose another arrow. Archery was something that focused the mind, and Amara quickly realised she had found her coping mechanism. Shooting arrows at a large piece of wood with a target pinned to it helped, and kept her mind away from the thoughts of the day before.

It was an astonished Natasha and Steve who watched Amara and Clint from the kitchen window at lunch.

"Well at least they aren't fighting anymore" Steve offered, a small smile appearing on his face as he leaned against the counter. Natasha merely smiled at the soldier and shook her head before answering the Captain.

"Their problem is that they are too similar so they butt heads every time they disagree on something. They could work together brilliantly, but they will always annoy each other and argue, simply because of their similar personalities" Natasha explained quietly. She looked back towards Amara and Clint before moving away from the window.

"Come on. We should probably make everyone something to eat. We need to lure Loki, Tony and Bruce out of their caves to talk to them about this mission debrief. You want to prepare Amara for walking into SHIELD or shall I?" Natasha said with a grin that made Steve shudder and shake his head quickly.

"No, I think you should tell her. You two don't speak much outside of training. Maybe you two should have a girl's day out" Steve joked, a small laugh escaping him. He looked over at Natasha who merely raised an eyebrow at him, and he raised his hands in defence.

"Alright. No girls day out." He said quickly as he backed away from the assassin who gave him a devilish grin before pulling a carton of eggs out of the fridge.

"Nice to know I still terrify you Rogers" Natasha drawled as she removed an egg and cracked it into the pan. Steve gulped and slowly lowered his hands, a small, nervous smile appearing on his face. He watched for a few seconds before Natasha handed him a pack of bacon and told him to get to work.

For as many years as he had known her, Steve still couldn't understand how the woman could go from friendly to downright terrifying in a matter of seconds. He let out an exasperated sigh before finding a pan to cook the bacon in.


	17. SHIELD Protection Programme

**A/N: ****Hey guys! Another big chapter for you all to enjoy. This chapter being posted catches me up with what is posted onto Figment, meaning both will now be getting updated around the same time. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer- I do not own anything belonging to Marvel or any of its characters. The only thing I own is my OC, Amara. **

**SHIELD Protection Programme**

The Avengers talked quietly as they sat around the meeting table in the Triskellion. None of the team were too please about being dragged into the debriefing at six in the morning, not even Natasha and Clint, who were early risers.

The room they sat in was large with three ceiling to floor windows that allowed the sunlight to stream in. The room had minimal decoration, and only contained a few pieces of furniture. A water machine stood in the corner, and the glass panelled table that the Avengers were sat around was the largest item in the room.

Tony let out a sigh and leaned back in his chair as they waited for the Director to join them, his eyes scanning his team mates, and the God of Mischief that was currently sitting beside Amara, his arm draped across the back of her chair while the other rested on the table in front of him, looking entirely too relaxed and comfortable in his current positing. The tricksters bright, emerald eyes quickly locked on to Tony's, and he gave the inventor a small smirk before allowing his gaze to return to Amara, leaving Tony worried about the safety of the young woman sitting beside the trickster.

Tony wasn't the only one watching Loki and wondering about his intentions. Both Natasha and Bruce were watching the god, their eyes rarely ever leaving him. Neither had spoken to the trickster since he had returned from Asgard, and they preferred to keep it that way. Both were in agreement that whatever Loki was planning was not in any way good, but for now, they kept quiet and merely watched him.

The only reason the god was with them was because Pepper was sick of him turning anything he could find into some form of animal. Although most of the team would admit to laughing at the image of Steve cowering behind a shocked Amara as the toaster turned into a lizard. Apparently, Steve didn't like lizards very much, but the rest of the team were quite taken with the animal, and it now resided in a tank within the study. A place Steve rarely ever went anymore.

The team were lulled from their thoughts by the door to the room opening, and the Director of SHIELD walking through, accompanied by Agent Coulson.

"I would say good job in San Diego, but I doubt you all think that given the report I received this morning. Instead, I will say this. We are now dealing with a major shit storm. Firstly, the press are still going crazy about Amara. Many are worried about who she is, as they know we held some information from them about her, and are asking whether she is a mutant or a human. Secondly, Amara, we've tracked down your father and brought him in for safety" Fury said quickly, barely looking up from the file he placed on the table.

Amara looked at the Director with wide eyes, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to speak. Agent Coulson quickly handed Amara a thin file and gave her a small smile.

"We don't want him to be tracked by the press. It's also best that he hears everything from you, instead of from a paper. He has been calling a lot since that interview with the press, it's about time you spoke to him" Coulson explained slowly, allowing the young sorceress to absorb the information, and she nodded, her forehead creased as she thought.

"Alright. Where is he-"she began to ask, but was interrupted by the door opening again, and a tall man stepped through the doorway, looking disgruntled.

He had light brown eyes and long blonde hair containing streaks of grey that was tied back into a ponytail. His eyes narrowed at the two agents who were beside him. He was clearly taller than most in the room, most likely reaching the same height as Steve, but this man was leaner. He had a strong jawline and it was covered in a small beard. His piercing eyes quickly scanned the room, and soon found their target. Within two long strides, he had reached the young woman who was now standing, and easily a foot shorter that the man in front of her.

"Amara. Would you care to explain what the hell is going on here?" the man asked, his voice deep but clear. His accent was clearly British, but held a twang that made people realise that English wasn't his first language. Amara merely smiled at the older man before wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly, which the man quickly returned, his frown turning into a small, caring smile.

Standing beside each other, there was no way this man was anything other than Amaras father. They held the same features, and while their eyes and hair were not the same colour, it was clear Amara had inherited most of her looks from her father.

"Dad. I'm really sorry about this. I hope the agents didn't treat you too badly?" she said as she pulled back, sending a glare to the two agents standing beside the door, before returning her gaze to her father. She let out a sigh and rolled her eyes before looking back up at the older man.

"I know I should have called sooner dad, but I've been really busy, as I'm sure you realised from the news yesterday." Amara explained as she sat down, pulling her father into the empty seat beside her. The man gave his daughter a fond yet disgruntled look before rolling his eyes.

"Too busy to call your old man and tell him that you were safe? When I had heard that London was hit, I panicked and called you. Then when you didn't answer…" He trailed off, his eyes leaving his daughter and moving to the rest of the team, as if he were only just noticing them.

"Dear, maybe you should introduce me to everyone first?" He said as he leaned back in the chair, and Amara nodded quickly, a faint look of embarrassment appearing on the young sorceresses face.

"Sorry. I forgot. Guys, this is my dad, Andreas Riddle. Dad, this is Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, Tony Stark, Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, Thor Odinson, and… Loki." Amara said slowly, pointing to each person in turn. She noticed her father's eyes narrow at the mention of Lokis name, and she quickly carried on before he could speak.

"The guy with the eye patch is Director Nick Fury of SHIELD, and the guy to his right is Agent Coulson."

The Avengers all greeted Andreas with a quick hello, and from some a small smile. Only Fury, Coulson, and Loki stayed quiet. Loki had kept his gaze firmly on Amara, watching her reactions to her father's appearance.

"Tony Stark? Didn't you have a crush on him when you were seventeen? I'm pretty sure you also had a poster of him pinned up in your room from the age of fourteen." Andreas said with a smirk, watching as his daughters face turned red with embarrassment.

"Dad!" Amara exclaimed, her eyes wide as the people around her began to laugh. Tony and Loki both held delighted looks in their eyes as they found new material to tease the young sorceress with.

"Amara! I never knew you felt such things about me. I didn't realise you liked older men" Tony said with a grin, his eyes glinting with laughter as he rested his head in his hands. Amara sent the inventor a death glare before turning to her father.

"Firstly, don't EVER mention my childhood to these people. They will never let me forget anything and they will use it as ammunition for the rest of my life. Second, I was merely inspired by him, I did not have a crush on that obnoxious ass of a man. Third, why aren't you badgering me with questions like you usually would be?" Amara asked, her head tilting to the side. Andreas let out a soft chuckle before placing his hand on Amaras shoulder.

"This is clearly big. So I'm waiting for you to tell me what is going on. I'm embarrassing you as that is my job as your father, and these people will know everything about your childhood. They will even know of your irrational fear of penguins." Andreas said with a grin of a timed prankster. Soon however, the grin faded to a look of concern that told Amara she had better talk, and soon.

The young sorceress let out a sigh and rested her head in her hands, unsure of where to start. After a few seconds she lifted her head to meet her father's gaze, and soon, words were pouring from her mouth. Everything that had happened to her since London was now out for her father to know. Although she left out the part about Loki sharing her bed for the night.

As she spoke, Andreas merely nodded slowly, his eyes widening every so often, but he kept quiet. Once Amara had finished speaking, Andreas watched her for a few seconds before turning his gave to Fury.

"My daughter is clearly important to you and your agency so I'm telling you this. If she dies because of you, I don't' care who or what I'll need to go through, I'll kill you myself. I know I'm no use to any of you, but if my daughter is injured or killed, nothing will stop me. Do you understand?" Andreas said slowly, his tone low and quiet. Amaras eyes widened slightly at her father's words. Before she could speak, she found herself face to face with her father.

"And you. Firstly, you are in trouble for not calling me immediately. We'll talk about that later. Secondly, why have I been dragged here? I don't really understand what this has to do with me" Andreas said slowly, his eyes still fixed on his daughter who fidgeted slightly and sent a quick pleading look to Bruce, who nodded quickly.

"Sir, if you don't mind me taking over here. The fact that you are her father could be very easily found out, and I'm quite sure you wouldn't want journalists at your home very day. It's simply to keep you safe from the prying eyes of the press, and some other people who have reacted… considerably badly, thinking that Amara was a mutant." Bruce explained slowly, his voice capturing attention from the first word.

Andreas frowned and his forehead creased as he thought.

"Do you mean, that Amara is not a mutant? Then how did she get those powers?" The older man asked, his eyes flicking towards Amara and filled with concern. This time, everyone merely looked at Loki, who was still lounging in his chair with an arm draped across the back of Amaras chair. He let out a small huff before meeting the gaze of Amaras father.

"Your daughter has magic because I gifted an ancestor of hers with it many centuries ago. When the Vikings worshipped Thor and I as Gods. I had a select group of followers, each loyal and willing to learn. I rewarded them with the ability to harness magic, but the magic itself would choose whether the person was worthy of the power. It appears I made some miscalculations and the magic passed down through her line. Since I cannot feel even the most remote sense of magic from you, or even the ability to harness magic, Amara must have gotten her magic through her mothers' side of the family." Loki drawled, his emerald eyes switching back to Amara and watching her with a fond expression.

"It is… remarkable that she is able to use the magic. Such a wondrous mistake I made, gifting humanity with magic. Well, I say humanity. All of the other bloodlines that were loyal to me have died out, leaving Amara and anyone on her mothers' side of the family the only Midgardians I know of able to wield magic! Truly a delightful turn of events." Loki purred as he watched Amara. His eyes never leaving her as if she were some interesting toy he could play with.

Everyone in the room froze at Lokis words. This was the first time he had spoken of the incident to any of them. Learning it truly was a mistake on his part had the team on edge. If he could make a mistake that big and not realise it until centuries later, what could he do on purpose?

Both Amara and Andreas had developed a hard look upon their faces at the mention of her mother, and Andreas didn't look happy about how cormftable Loki was acting around his daughter.

"Just why the hell are you here anyway? Shouldn't you be in prison or something?" Andreas growled, pulling at Amaras chair to move her further away from the trickster. Loki narrowed his eyes as his arm fell against his own chair before letting out a low chuckle.

"I'm the reason your daughter is able to control her powers. Were it not for me, SHIELD would have most likely locked her away so she could not hurt anybody so really you should be thanking me. And to answer your other question, I was in Asgardian prison before Thor had me released early so I could help train your daughter" Loki said slowly, his tone dangerously low and his eyes sparkled with challenge, daring Andreas to provoke him.

Andreas merely stared at the god, unfazed by the look that would have sent lesser men running.

"I'm warning you. If you even think about touching my daughter no one in this room will be able to stop me from ensuring you will never be able to have kids again. Am I understood?" Andreas growled, his eyes narrowed. Amara opened her mouth to cut in but Lokis next words sealed their fate.

"And what if I already have? After the battle in San Diego, your daughter seemed perfectly happy to allow me to share her bed." Loki said slowly, his eyes flicking towards the young Sorceress, whose red face and inability to meet anyone's gaze proved Loki to be telling the truth. The room was silent as Andreas looked at him daughter in shock.

"It isn't how it sounds. We slept in the same bed but that is all we did. I may trust him as my teacher, but I would never trust him enough to do that." Amara spat as she sent the trickster a glare. She turned her gaze to her father and narrowed her eyes.

"Loki is an arse and twists words easily. There is a reason he is known as the god of Lies. Don't believe a word he says about me unless I tell you it is true. You will also not go anywhere near him dad, because I actually need Loki to teach me without him being in pain, or me hating him because he hurt my father. Everyone now knows what happened the other night so can we please drop it and talk about something else, like how my father will be protected?" She snapped as she looked towards Fury who had been watching the confrontation, content on letting it unwind.

A small smile appeared on the Directors face before he nodded.

"It appear Miss Riddle knows how to take charge of a situation. But she is right. Mr Riddle, it's time we told you a few things that even your daughter doesn't know yet." Nick said as he placed a folder in front of the pair.


	18. Looking into the Past

**A/N****\- Hey guys! Chapter 18 is now up and When We Reach the End is now the longest story I have ever written! I really hope yo are enjoying the story, as I simply love writing. There are so many different ways you can go with Avengers stories, and that to me is simply brilliant. **

**Remember to review! I love to know what you think of each chapter!**

****Disclaimer- I do not own anything belonging to Marvel or any of its characters. The only thing I own is my OC, Amara.****

**Looking into the Past**

The room was silent as the Director explained the new strategy. It was clear to Amara that the rest of the team knew about it, but it was clear to see the mixed feelings that they were having.

"We need to lure the leader of the Chitauri here and find out who he is. We have recently reacquired the Tesseract to lure this leader here. He wants the Tesseract for some unknown reason, and in the interest of protecting all of the realms, Asgard has agreed to come to our aid." Fury explained. He watched Amara carefully as she absorbed the information he had given her.

Amaras forehead creased as she thought, her eyes narrowed and, after a few minutes, she looked up at the Director with a look of disapproval on her face.

"So you are sacrificing all of these people? I know that you are trying to do good but… Those people that have died for this plan to work. I'm worried that the end result won't be worth the price you have paid." Amara said softly, her eyes looking back at the folder containing a larger description of the aims that Fury had went over.

Her mind was racing through the new information, and part of her felt horrified at the thought of allowing innocent people to die. She shook her head before running a hand through her hair and leaning back in her chair. Amara let out a sigh and closed her eyes, unsure of how to proceed.

The entire room was silent as she thought, the Avengers were watching her with curiosity, and waiting to see how she would react. They were surprised when she looked back at Fury and nodded.

"Alright. I don't like this plan at all. Too many people have died. I understand the sacrifice a few to save everyone, but this is horrifying. What will happen if the press gets hold of this information?" Amara asked, her eyes narrowed. She let out a sigh and shook her head, her mind torn at the prospect of people dying.

"I'll help, but I don't like this" she said firmly as she crossed her arms and directed her gaze to the director. Fury let out a low chuckle before looking at the young sorceress.

"That's all I need" he said with a small smile.

To Amara, the mansion was too quiet. After the meeting, her father had been taken to a safe location that even she didn't know. The team had travelled back home, and now everyone seemed to be relaxing in some kind of way. Every few minutes, explosions could be heard from the labs. Music could be heard from upstairs, but whom was listening to it, Amara didn't know.

She let out a sigh as she flicked through the book in her hands. Her mind was in turmoil, and she had no idea how to calm it. Part of her mind kept going over the meeting, while another part struggled to choose between two subjects. The plan Fury had created, and her mother.

The moment Loki had mentioned her, both Amara and Andreas had tensed up. Amara let out a sigh and put the book down, then placed her head in her hands. She couldn't understand why she was thinking about her mother. After everything that had happened, Amara had never wanted to see her mother again, yet now her thoughts kept returning to her, leaving Amara confused.

"Why now? It's been ten years since I saw her. Why am I thinking about her?" She whispered, her hands shaking. She closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath. Her anger was already building. Her mother had shattered Amaras illusion of them being a happy family. Her mother had betrayed her father in a way that Amara would never forgive.

_Flashback_

_Amara remembered coming home from school, barely 12, to find her parents arguing. That in itself shocked Amara. Her parents never fought. But when Amara entered the living room, she saw exactly why her father was shouting._

_Her mother was standing beside a man who was not Amaras father. Both were red and looked as if they had rushed to dress. It was her father's words that had brought everything crashing down._

"_Five years!" He shouted, his eyes narrowed in anger, there was evidence of ears rolling down his face as he spoke. "You've been having an affair with this man for five years? How could you do this?" Andreas asked, his voice breaking slightly as he spoke._

_Amara had been shocked by her father's words. Her mother had been cheating on her father? Her mind could barely comprehend the news. Her backpack hit the floor with a resounding thud and the three adults turned to look at her. Amara watched her mother with wide eyes for a few seconds before she began to move. She stood beside her father and gently touched his arm._

"_Dad, don't. She isn't worth it." She whispered as she gave him a comforting smile. Andreas closed his eyes and nodded, then opened them and looked back towards his wife._

"_Bersa, you can keep the house. The divorce papers will be delivered soon. Amara honey, go pack your things. We're going to live with my parents for a while" Andreas said quietly. Amara nodded quickly and moved towards the stairs when Bersa grabbed her arm._

"_Amara, you are not going anywhere. You live here" Bersa said as she narrowed her eyes. Amara looked at the hand on her arm for a second before pulling away and sending her mother a glare._

"_You cheated on dad. Why would I want to live with you? I don't want anything to do with you." She growled, her eyes narrowed. She turned and headed upstairs to pack her things. When she came back down, Andreas was waiting for her, a case by his side. _

_There were no goodbyes. Amara and Andreas left quickly, neither wanting to stay in the house a moment longer._

_Flashback over_

Amara let out a sigh as the memory ran through her head. The pain that her mother had caused her father had left him hurt for a long time. It was only recently that he had moved on and gotten a girlfriend.

The last time Amara had seen her mother was when Bersa had taken her father to court for custody of Amara. While Bersa did have a larger home and a larger income, the court had voted into Andreas' favour and given him full custody of the young sorceress, who had plainly told the counsellor who had spoken to her that she wanted nothing to do with her mother.

As the years went by, Amara had never bothered to contact her mother. It had been just her and her father for six years. Then her father had brought a woman home called Sandra Clarke, a sweet yet quiet woman that Amara immediately took a liking to. Sandra had become the female role model in her life, and in the past four years, the two had gotten on brilliantly.

Amara shook her head and stood quickly. Her legs began to move and carried her to the gym where Natasha was training. The red headed woman looked up at the young sorceress and gave her a small smile.

"Natasha. Mind if I join you?" Amara asked hesitantly, her eyes scanning the room. Natasha nodded and soon, the pair were sparring.

"So, what's on your mind?" Natasha finally asked. They had been sparring for half an hour, and it was the first time the assassin had spoken. Amaras eyes widened and she froze for a second, allowing Natasha to trip her. Amara let out a groan as she hit the ground and sat up slowly, rubbing the base of her back gently. She let out a sigh and shook her head.

"How did you know?" Amara asked quietly, her eyes watching the red haired assassin as she sat down beside her. Natasha let out a soft laugh as she watched the young woman and smiled.

"It's written all over your face. Something is clearly bothering you so spill." Natasha said nonchalantly as she leaned back her hands resting on the flood behind her.

Amara let out a sigh. She opened her mouth and the words were tumbling out. Natasha was silent through the story, nodding occasionally, but her eyes never left Amara. The pair sat in silence as Amara finished speaking. Amara focused her gaze on the ground, unsure about what Natasha would say.

"Loki brought the memories back for you. Truthfully, I knew your parents were divorced, it said in your file. I realised something was wrong the moment Loki mentioned your mother. Both you and your father stiffened and looked away. Have you thought about giving your mother a call? It might simply be that you are worried about her safety. Given current events, that is the most likely option. Just call her. It might help." Natasha said quietly. Amara looked up at the assassin, and gave her a hesitant smile before answering.

"She won't be happy to hear from me, and I may end up shouting at her." Amara warned. She looked over to the door and let out a soft sigh. She stood quickly and nodded.

"Thanks Natasha. That… Talking to you helped" Amara whispered as she sent Natasha a smile. Natasha stood and rested her hand on the younger womans shoulder.

"I suppose venting to another woman helps, especially when this house is filled with so much testosterone." Natasha said, a laugh escaping after she had spoken. Amara let out a chuckle and smiled. She and Natasha never spoke much, but when they did, they got on quite well, and Amara always listened to the older womans advice.

"I'll go talk to my mum" Amara said firmly as she moved towards the door. Soon she found herself in the living room, with one of the many phones that were scattered throughout the house in her hands. She let out a shaky breath and began to dial the number. Her mother's number had been put in Amaras file, and that was what currently lay in front of the young sorceress.

She looked at the phone for a few seconds before lifting it to her ear as the number dialled. She rings were ominous, and the knot in Amaras stomach grew tighter with each ring. Just as it seemed no one was going to answer, a voice at the other end of the line spoke.

"Hello?" Said a voice that Amara hadn't heard in over ten years. She drew in a breath and closed her eyes.

"Hi… Mum, it's me. Amara" She said, her hand gripping the phone tightly. Her voice was shaking slightly as she spoke, and she closed her eyes, breathing deeply in hopes of steadying it. It was an ominous wait as no one spoke, then her mother spoke.

"Amara. Why are you calling me? I thought that you wanted nothing to do with me?" Bersa asked coldly, her voice was sharp, and caused Amara to flinch.

"I just… I just wanted to make sure you were ok. With those aliens attacking everywhere I got worried." Amara explained, her voice became hesitant and quiet, and she bit her lip out of nervousness. She heard a soft huff at the end of the line and looked down.

"Well I'm fine. I saw you on the news a few days ago, killing those freakish things. How did you get powers like that? Is it true that you are a mutant?" Bersa asked, spitting the word 'mutant' as if it were a vile swear word. Amara rolled her eyes in disgust and shook her head, momentarily forgetting that her mother could not see her.

"There is nothing wrong with mutants mum. Most of them are just trying to fit into society, but no. I am not a mutant. But if I was, would that change anything?" Amara groaned as she leaned back and closed her eyes. She remembered how anti-mutant her mother had been. Bersa never even spoke to her brother because of his mutation. Amara had never had a problem with mutants, and loved when her uncle managed to visit, even if it was only a few visits a year.

"You know damn well it would change things. I will not have a freak for a daughter. There isn't any other option to explain it. You are one of them." Bersa barked. Amara felt her anger growing, and clenched her fist tightly.

"You mean I'm like uncle Finnr? Tell me, what exactly was wrong with him? Was it the fact that he was so carefree and kind all the time? Or was it the fact that he could bend dark matter to his will?" Amara asked coldly, her voice as sharp as a knife. The deathly silence at the end of the phone told Amara she had gone too far, and soon her mother was shouting.

"How dare you talk to me about him?! He is dead to me, just as you are. Do not call me again Amara. I want nothing to do with you!" Bersa shouted angrily. Amara lowered the phone from her ear as the line went dead, and let out a long sigh as she rubbed her eyes.

"I knew calling that woman was a bad idea." She muttered to herself as she lay back for a few minutes, her eyes still closed. A knock on the doorframe drew her from her thoughts, and she looked up to see Bruce standing in the doorway, a tray of tea in his hands and a gentle smile upon his face.

"I kind of heard you and your mother talking, and thought you might need some company." The doctor said hesitantly. Amara gave him a small smile and nodded, patting the seat beside her as approval of the idea.

There was silence for a few moments as they both sipped their tea, but soon enough, a question had escaped from the young sorceress.

"Do you think I should have contacted her sooner?" She asked quietly. Bruce looked up from his tea and thought for a few seconds before answering.

"Truthfully? No. It was pretty easy to hear her from the doorway, and she didn't sound to kind. In my opinion, you are most likely better off without such a negative influence in your life. You mentioned an uncle when you were talking. Want to talk about him?" Bruce asked kindly, his eyes watching the young woman with honesty and openness. Amara gave the older man a small smile of thanks before taking a sip of her tea, savouring the taste of the lemon and honey mixed together in a seemingly heavenly pairing.

"Uncle Finnr. Yeah. He was always a bit of a wild card, loved anything to do with helping people, and had a pretty good affinity for controlling dark matter. I always thought it was awesome, and that my mother knew. But one day she saw him using his powers to entertain me and… she screamed at him. Told him to get out and to never come back. After my mum and dad got divorced, I managed to get back into contact with him, and he sometimes visits when he isn't busy helping young mutants struggling with accepting who they are." Amara said softly, a wistful smile appearing on her face.

Bruce let out a soft chuckle and shook his head.

"Sounds like you really care about him. Have you tried contacting him to see if he is ok?" Bruce asked after he had taken a sip of his own tea. Amara nodded slowly before looking out of the window, a small sigh escaping as she watched the rain trail down the glass pane.

"SHIELD are looking for him. Last I knew he was in Australia. Something about a few mutants there needing help. He'll be pine. He's really powerful and can protect himself. As long as I know he is safe, then I am happy." Amara explained quietly. It was a few minutes before she looked back to the doctor beside her, and this time, she looked at him properly.

While he was clearly relaxed, his eyes held a tense look to them that he was clearly trying to hide. He looked older than a man just reaching thirty five. His hair already held hints of grey, and he looked tired. Not as if he needed to sleep, but as if he hadn't relaxed properly in a long time. Amaras heart went out to him. She knew the story of how he became the Hulk, and she had been horrified upon learning how many years he had spent running. The stress of running from the military for that long had taken its toll. What Amara couldn't understand was how anyone could think he was dangerous.

She wasn't stupid. She knew the Hulk was dangerous, but she hadn't seen him out of control. She had only seen him when he had been nice to her in the battle in San Diego. He had saved her life while they were fighting. He had protected her, then carried her somewhere safer when the amount of Chitauri soldiers around them had increased drastically.

She placed a gentle hand on Bruce's arm and let out a soft chuckle as the older man jumped, his eyes wide at the physical contact.

"You need to relax Bruce. No one is going to hurt you here. You are among friends that care about you." Amara murmured soothingly, a small, comforting smile upon her face as she spoke. Bruce gave the young woman a sorrowful smile before shaking his head.

"I don't worry for my safety. I worry for the safety of my friends. My team mates. If I lose control, I could hurt them, or worse, I could kill them. I don't want to end up doing that to them. Or to you. Bruce explained his voice quiet and filled with pain. Amara tilted her head to the side and placed her cup onto the tray, then carefully took Bruce's hand.

"You aren't hurting me now. You aren't hurting the rest of the Avengers either. We trust you Bruce, so trust yourself. You can relax around us without worrying all the time" Amara whispered soothingly. The small smile was still on her face as Bruce began to relax. He was clearly hesitant. But with a few encouraging words, he was soon more relaxed than he had been in years, and let out a small, happy sigh.

'Amara had been right about one thing' Bruce thought to himself. The relaxing was doing him good. Even the Hulk seemed to be less aggressive and calmer than he usually was.

'I'll need to find some way to thank her for this' He thought as he closed his eyes, too deeply relaxed to notice Amara humming and taking a quick picture of a smiling, and slightly goofy looking Doctor Banner.


	19. Hacking SHIELD and Other Activities

**A/N- **** Hey guys! Chapter 19 now up and ready to read. I'm sorry it took so long but I've been busy with University and I'm slowly settling into my classes. This chapter is't one of my best as I was suffering from some writers block, but It seemed to have turned out all right. Hope you guys like it and remember to review so I know where to improve!**

**Disclaimer- I do not own anything belonging to Marvel or any of its characters. The only thing I own is my OC, Amara**

**Hacking SHIELD and Other Activities**

Loki watched through the window as Amara and Steve returned from their morning run, his eyes never leaving the young sorceress. He leaned against the window frame, his eyes sparkling with interest as he watched the pair slowly to a jog. From his vantage point he could clearly see Amara breathing heavily, and Steve laughing beside her. A small smile appeared upon the tricksters face, and he backed away from the window and sat at the desk in his room.

Loki turned on the laptop on the desk, and waited as the machine loaded. He had found using Midgardian equipment simple, and was comfortable in using it without assistance. He opened up the search engine and paused for a few seconds as he thought, wondering how to phrase his query without arousing suspicion.

He typed quickly, his eyes flicking between the screen and the keyboard. Soon the result he had been searching for appeared and he clicked the link his eyes scanning through the page. His eyes flicked to the notebook by the mouse, and he opened it with a careless flick, his eyes scanning the information upon the page as he began to type it into the computer.

He leaned back in his chair as he waited for the website to search through its archives, his eyes never leaving the screen. He tugged at the sleeves of his shirt, and let out a sigh. Midgardian clothes were different to what was worn on Asgard, but Loki had taken to them quite quickly. The silk shirts he wore often were comfy, and were always accompanied by a pair of black or blue jeans. However, he longed for his Asgardian clothing. Miss Potts had confiscated his Asgardian clothing on the point that it made him 'stand out'.

He found the woman almost insufferable, yet very strong willed. Something he greatly admired. He let out a low chuckle and shook his head before focusing back on his task.

"Now let us see if this works" Loki murmured with a silvery voice. A predatory smile appeared upon his face as the information flashed up on screen. He reached for a pen and quickly began to write down the information before him.

Once he had collected the information, his eyes scanned through the notebook slowly, and a victorious smile appeared upon his face. Loki let out a low chuckle and returned his gaze to the image on the screen.

"Oh my. I most certainly have much to learn about you, don't I Amara?" Loki muttered as he closed the notebook. He turned his gaze back towards the window and low out a low sigh, his mind sifting through the newly discovered information.

It had been a few days since the incident at the Triskellion, and Amara had done everything in her power to avoid the Trickster. Other than their training sessions, the god never saw the young sorceress, and if he did, she merely ignored him, and pretended he wasn't there.

It was clear to Loki that he must have struck a nerve, but on what he was not sure. He gave the SHIELD file on the computer a quick look, his gaze landing on the picture attached to it.

A knock on the door startled him and his gaze flicked to the door quickly. He closed the website and switched the computer off and hid the notebook in the drawer of his desk. The entirety of his actions took less than three seconds, and he sat up straighter in his chair, hoping that SHIELD hadn't noticed his search.

"Come in." Loki called loudly. He let out a low groan as Thor stepped in the room and relaxed. He watched Thor for a few seconds before standing and moving towards the bookshelf.

"How can I help you Thor?" He asked, his voice emotionless as his eyes gazed at the books upon the shelf.

Thor flinched at the emotionlessness of Lokis voice, and let out a small sigh before smiling.

"Brother. You keep yourself to this room too often. You should come downstairs and join us." Thor said quietly, his voice hesitant as he watched his brother with careful eyes. As much as he longed for Loki to be the way he once was, he knew this man in front of him was not that person, and he knew that Loki would more likely kill him than ever returned to being the brother Thor remembered.

Lokis eyes flicked to the Thunderer and he raised an eyebrow, his eyes boring into Thors with clear annoyance.

"Tell me why I would wish to join you and your team? They do not wish for my company and I do not wish for theirs. What makes you think that me sitting with them would be a good idea when most would happily agree to my head being removed from my shoulders." Loki growled. He strode towards the window and gazed out of it as he leaned against the frame, his arms crossed.

Thors shoulders fell slightly, and he opened his mouth to speak but no sound came out. He breathed in and closed his eyes before replying.

"I would enjoy your company, as would the Lady Amara. I believe she wishes to train for longer today." Thor explained. Loki let out a quiet huff and rolled his eyes before turning to Thor with a tired look upon his face.

"Thor. I have clearly agitated Miss Riddle, and from her most recent reaction of ignoring me completely, I am positive she does not wish to 'spend time with me'." Loki said with a laugh that held no humour. The pair stood in silence for a few moments before Loki let out a sigh and turned around. He moved across the room towards Thor and motioned the Thunderer towards the door.

"Let us leave then. If I must spend time with your friends I would like to deal with it as soon as possible. However, if they decide to kill me, it shall be your fault Thor." Loki grumbled as he opened the door and stepped into the corridor. Thor let out a laugh and patted Loki on the back as he walked past, causing Loki to stumble and grumble in annoyance.

The entire team were in the living room, crowded on the couches around the television. They were all watching eagerly as Thor and Loki entered, and it wasn't until both got closer that they noticed the gaming system was on, and Amara and Tony had the controllers.

"You may as well give up Tony! This has, and always will be, MY game" Amara said with a gleeful laugh as she bumped Tony with her elbow. Tony sent the young sorceress a glare and elbowed her back, his brow furrowing in annoyance as the television flashed, and announced Amara as the winner.

She let out a whoop and gave Tony a grin of satisfaction, a small laugh escaping as she high fived Clint.

"Told you I would win! Not that long ago I was a university student, meaning I had a lot of time on my hands, most went on playing video games." Amara said with a smug grin. Tony let out a huff and crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing in annoyance.

"You could have warned me how badly I would lose. I want a rematch- Oh Hey Thor, Lokes." Tony said as he looked up, his eyes focused upon the two gods. Everyone went silent at the sight of the pair, and the tension immediately began to grow.

Amara focused on Loki and let out a cough.

"Hey Loki. It's about time that you came out of your room. If you keep holed up in there you'll get bored. Care for a game?" She asked as she offered him controller, a small grin on her face. Loki gave the young sorceress a concerned look and his eyes flicked nervously to the controller she was offering him.

"I would prefer to watch, if you do not mind." Loki said as he took the remaining seat beside Clint, who sent the Trickster a glare. Amara sent the god a small smile and handed the controller in her hands to Clint, and swapped seats with him.

"Your turn Archer boy. You against Natasha." Amara said with a grin as she relaxed in the chair. As the two assassins began playing, the tension in the room evaporated.

Loki looked down at Amara and rested his hand on her arm to gain her attention. Amaras eyes flicked up to Loki and gave him an expectant look.

"Lady Amara. I would like to apologise for my behaviour at the Triskellion while I spoke to your father. I clearly said some things that were inappropriate and they clearly hit a nerve. I hope there are no hard feelings between us, as teaching you when you won't speak a word to me is difficult." Loki whispered softly so that only she could hear him.

Amara gave the God a small smile and patted Lokis arm gently before replying.

"It's fine. I'm sorry I have been ignoring you, I just had a bit of a problem with my mum, and kind of took it out on you. Let's just forget that it happened. Deal?" Amara asked quietly, offering Loki her hand. Loki focused his gaze upon the young sorceresses hand for a few moments before taking it and shaking gently.

The pair sat in silence as they watched the game on the television. Occasionally, they laughed as each person lost in a more humiliating way than the last. Soon enough a winner had been found, and Natasha accepted her victory gracefully, with Amara coming a close second. Tony however, was still in a huff that he came last.

The large group was still enjoying the relaxed atmosphere with the television switched to the news channel. The group slowly split off into smaller groups after Tony left with Pepper. It was their monthly 'date day' and Tony was taking Pepper somewhere for dinner. Thor, Clint, and Steve headed out to buy food to fill the empty fridge. Bruce and Natasha had headed to the labs, where Bruce was helping to fix Natashas gear.

Once Loki and Amara ere alone, the young sorceress stood and stretched, a small groan escaping as her back cracked. She looked back at Loki and sent him a smile.

"I'm going to go and change. I'll meet you in the bunker." Amara said as she headed out of the room and up the stairs towards her bedroom. Loki let out a sigh as he headed to change, his eyes closing for a few seconds after he finished changing. He looked towards the drawer in his desk where his notebook was hidden, and his mind began to sift through the newly acquired information as he headed towards the bunker. His mind was so focused that he did not notice Amara leaning against the wall, and he jumped in fear as she let out a small cough.

"Lady Amara! I did not see you standing there." Loki said shakily, his hand over his heart as he breathed in deeply. Amara grinned and let out a laugh as she watched him, her eyes twinkling with the laughter.

"I scared you didn't I?" She asked with a giggle. Loki sent the young sorceress a glare and straightened, his eyes glowering at her.

"You did not scare me, I was merely shocked that you were there. Shall we begin training?" Loki said, a small grin appearing as Amara nodded and took to her stance. Loki didn't wait and took his own stance, ready to fight.

It was a tired Loki and Amara that sat at the dinner table that night with the Avengers, both low on energy from training intensely for so long. Neither had meant to spend most of the day training, yet it had happened without either realising. It was only when Steve popped into the bunker and informed them that dinner was ready that the pair realised the time and how weak they felt.

"Hey Steve. You've got to cook more often." Amara said as she began to eat. The rest of their group made sounds of agreement as they ate, causing the super soldier to blush in embarrassment. The group were talking avidly about their day, and soon the food had disappeared, along with any need to move from the table. Thor had pulled Loki into the gym for a sparring match, while Bruce was showing Clint a new variation of arrowheads on his tablet. This left Natasha, Steve, and Amara to talk, since Pepper and Tony were still out.

"So, how's training with Loki going?" Natasha asked as she sipped her coffee, her eyes occasionally flicking to the Trickster in question. Amara gave the assassin a small smile and shrugged, unsure of how to respond.

"Well. He's a good teacher. He's patient and knows what he is doing. He is good at training me, and I do have a stronger control of my powers now. But he acts so… differently when he and I are alone compared to when you guys are around" Amara explained hesitantly as she bit her lip. Steve frowned and leaned back in his chair as he watched Amara.

"Maybe he trusts you." Steve said nonchalantly as he thought. Noting the surprised looks both Amara and Natasha sent him, he began to explain.

"We have all seen how he acted and what he is capable of, and because of that we can't trust him. You however, are an unknown factor. Someone who hasn't seen him act that way, and someone who didn't hold it against him. Maybe he trusts you because of that. Well, at least more than he trusts us." Steve explained slowly, his eyes flicking between Amara and Natasha as looks of understanding crossed their faces.

"Or he could simply like her. She is pretty and when we have been out I've seen a few men giving her a second glance. Maybe he has a crush on her." Natasha said, her lips curling up into a grin as Amara blushed deeply and opened her mouth to protest.

"Oh hush Amara. It was a joke. Although, are you single? As I know a few guys who might be your type." Natasha said with a small laugh. Steve let out an exasperated sigh and sent the red haired assassin a fond smile.

"Natasha, don't start that again. It's bad enough you try to set me up on dates. Don't do it to Amara too!" Steve said with a groan. His smile took the bite from the words, and Natasha hit him playfully.

"Hey. Is it wrong that I get sick of you sulking around? Jeez, you need a girlfriend, or a hobby at least." Natasha muttered as she picked up her mug again and took another sip. Amara shook her head and smiled, enjoying the joking atmosphere that began to grow as Natasha and Steve bickered.

She heard the thud of the front door shutting and looked up to see Tony and Pepper entering the kitchen. The pair were breathless, but it was easy to make out what he was saying.

"Fury called. The Chitauri are in Paris, and Fury wants Loki to help us." Tony said quickly. The jolly atmosphere evaporated immediately, and Amara felt like a weight had been dropped on her stomach.


	20. The Journey to Paris

**The Journey to Paris**

As the Quinjet descended into Paris, the team began to prepare themselves. The journey had been deathly quiet, with each person focusing on their weapons or looking at the floor. Loki was sitting near the bay doors of the Quinjet, as far from the Avengers as he could get. He did not understand why he was being dragged along, given the fact that his powers did not work outside of the manor.

His eyes flicked towards the team of heroes, and he let out a sigh. Each person looked nervous, including the two assassins. He couldn't understand why the Director had dictated that he tag along for the journey. With his magic disabled he couldn't even act as a healer, let alone a sorcerer. He glanced down at the daggers sheathed at his sides, ensuring they were still there before unsheathing one and twirling it slowly, his eyes never leaving the dagger.

His skills as a warrior were good, yet he felt useless without his magic. It had been part of him for a thousand years, and to have it blocked away so easily made him feel weak. He flinched as he felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned his head sharply, his hand gripping the dagger that he had been twirling.

"Can I help you Thor?" Loki asked with a growl, his emerald eyes flashing in annoyance. Thor gave the Trickster a scolding look and raised an eyebrow, his eyes flicking to the dagger.

"Brother, we are landing soon. You should prepare yourself for the battle." Thor murmured quietly as he sat in the empty space on Lokis left. Loki gave the Thunderer a curt nod before shifting his gaze back to his weapons. He immediately began checking them over once again, ensuring they would all last through the battle, and that he had everything he needed.

"Tell me. Your Director sent me here in the hope that I would die during the battle, didn't he?" Loki asked. He thought the answer would be a yes, and Thors silent, grim look proved him to be correct. Loki let out a humourless laugh and leaned back in his seat. He kept his eyes fixed upon Thor, waiting for any response from the God.

"Loki. Before we begin this battle, I have something for you." Thor murmured as he removed a letter from his pocket. "Mother wished for me to give it to you if you were ever asked to help us."

Lokis eyes immediately snapped to the letter, and he took it slowly from Thor, his eyes never leaving the parchment that currently resided in his hand. He hadn't even noticed that Thor had moved to the other end of the Quin-Jet to give him privacy as he read.

With shaking hands, Loki slowly began to open the letter, and the sight of the familiar, cursive script made the Tricksters heart pang with pain. He took in a deep breath as he began to read, his hand steadying as he clutched the letter as if it were a life line.

_Loki,_

_I know that recently things haven't been good for any of us, and I understand why you resent us for never telling you the truth. But you will always be my son. You were from the moment that I laid eyes on you. I do not care whether you are Jotunn or whether you are Asgardian. You are my son, and I love you no matter what._

_If you are reading this, then the mortals require your help in battle, and Thor has given you it per my request. I merely want you to know that you are my son, and no matter what you do, I will always think of you as my child. Stay safe my son, and please, come back to me alive. _

_All my love,_

_Your mother, Frigga._

_(Also, please try and keep Thor safe during this battle. You and I both know how he can get while fighting, and I would like to see both of my sons alive and well)_

Loki did not notice that he was crying until a tear fell onto the letter, and his eyes widened in shock. He raised a hand to his face and felt the wetness as he pulled his hand back. He wiped his eyes quickly, hoping no one had seen him cry before looking back at the letter. He had heard Frigga say all of this before, but he had never truly believed it until now.

Many people stated that he cared for no one, that no one held a place in the Tricksters heart, but they could never have been more wrong. Frigga was the only person to have a place in his heart. She was his mother. She had taught him to wield magic. She had read to him when storms rolled in. She had taken him to be her own son when his own parents had abandoned him. She was his mother, and he was her son, no matter what blood ran in his veins.

He sat still for a long time, re-reading the letter in silence, with a small, fond smile on his face. His eyes showed the pain he felt, but none of the Avengers said a word to him. They simply watched, most too shocked at seeing Loki cry.

Thor watched Loki carefully, and a spark of hope lit in his heart. Lokis care for their mother showed there was still part of the old Loki in there somewhere. There was still a chance that his brother could be redeemed. Thor always knew that their mother had a special place in Lokis heart, and he hoped that his mothers' words, along with Amaras constant companionship, could break through the barriers surrounding the raven haired god.

Thor was not sure what had happened between Loki and Thanos, but any mention of the Titans name lately led to Loki freezing, and soon excusing himself from the room. Thor knew something bad had happened, and he intended to find out what.

He made to move towards his brother, hoping that he could find out anything about what had happened between Loki falling into the void, and landing on Midgard a year later. However, he soon found his pat blocked by Amara, who had rested her hand upon the Thunderers arm. He opened his mouth to ask her what she was doing when she began to speak.

"Thor, he needs time to think about whatever is in that letter. Let him have some privacy. Question him when we get back." Amara whispered so low that only Thor could hear her. "Clearly that letter contains something that brought back memories for him. Letting him have this time to think through things could help him recover faster than he already is."

Thor gazed down at the young sorceress, his eyes wide in shock. So he wasn't the only one who saw it. Loki had changed throughout his time on Midgard. It was slow, and the changes were subtle, but they were there. That gave Thor much to think about. He gave Amara a smile and bowed his head to her.

"You are correct, Lady Amara. I thank you for your consul. I would also like to thank you for helping him. You have changed him. The changes are subtle, but I am glad that I am not the only one who has seen them. Maybe, with your assistance, he may be closer to being the Loki I grew up with." Thor murmured as he sat down, his eyes flicking towards Loki and watching the fallen god carefully.

Amara sat beside Thor and followed his gaze. At first, she was unsure what to say, but soon, the words came to her with ease.

"I think I understand why you don't give up on him. He's been your brother for over a thousand years. A bond like that is hard to let go. You two have been through so much together that giving up on him so suddenly would be near impossible for you. Especially when you grew up as close as you say. He cares for you, you know. Even if he doesn't show it. Somewhere inside of him, there is part of him who still cares from his brother. We just have to find it." Amara said softly, her eyes flicking between the two gods as she spoke.

Thor gave Amara a gentle smile and nodded in agreement. His eyes turned towards Loki one last time and he let out a sigh.

"Thank you for your help Amara. You have a kind heart." Thor said as he turned back to Amara, the smile on his face sincere and grateful. The pair sat in silence as the plane continued its journey, their eyes occasionally flicking towards Loki to see him unmoving, his eyes still focused upon the letter.

"Guys, we're about to land so buckle up and get ready." Clint said through the comms system, and the rest of the team glanced at each other. They all quickly sat and buckled up, each one breathing deeply as they prepared for the battle.


	21. Just Too Late

**A/N: Hi everyone! Wow it has been a long time since I updated! Sorry about the wait but my Engineering course has been pretty hectic. But anyway, chapter 21 is up and now out. I'm hoping I'll be able to get back to my schedule of one chapter a week, but if not it should be a chapter every two weeks. **

**Keep reading and please review! I would love some feedback!**

**Disclaimer - I do not own anything belonging to Marvel or any of its characters. The only thing I own is my OC, Amara. I write this story purely for fun, and receive no payment for it.**

**Now on with the story!**

**Just Too Late**

The city of Paris was already in ruin when the Avengers arrived, and it seemed they were too late. Most of the Chitauri were gone, and only a few stragglers remained to tell the Avengers just who had caused such destruction.

They took down any Chitauri soldier that crossed their path, not caring about anything than hoping that there were survivors. Once the area was clear of the remaining Chitauri soldiers, the team split off into groups to try and find any survivors. They travelled in pairs, Natasha with Steve, Tony with Loki, Clint with Hulk, and Thor with Amara.

Amara and Thor trekked through the ruined city, scanning every street and building for survivors. Their hope of finding any grew smaller as they neared the edge of their zone. Only a few people had been found, and the SHIELD medics were on route.

Amara let out a soft sigh as looked around the desolate city. The streets that had mere hours ago ben filled with life were now filled with death and destruction. Bodies littered the ground, some more grotesque than others. These were the ones that had fought back. The ones that had been given a brutal death.

"Lady Amara, I think we should re-group with the others. We are nearing the edge of our zone, and I do not believe there are any survivors left." Thor said with a solemn glance towards the sorceress who had continued walking. She barely looked back at him as she continued with her brisk pace, her eyes glancing everywhere as she tried to find any sign of life.

"Just a little further. There might be survivors that need our help, or even a few more Chitauri. We need to make sure the city is empty." Amara said emotionlessly, her voice as sharp as glass. Thor sent her a small nod before sending Steve a report on the communication device in his hands. Contrary to belief, he was actually quite good with technology and knew how to use most of the electronic items in the Avengers Mansion.

A bitter cold gust of wind swooped through the street, and Amara shivered slightly, noting the rain clouds forming above them. She tugged at the sleeves of her uniform and pulled the neck of the suit up higher to shield herself from the oncoming cold. As they reached the last row of buildings, she looked behind her to Thor, ready to turn back and regroup with the others when a movement caught her eye.

She barely had time to move as a Chitauri Soldier lunged at her, armed with what looked to be a knife, its edge serrated and deadly. She let out a gasp as the blade sliced through her suit with little effort, and embedded itself in her side. Had she not moved before the Soldier had reached her, the blade would have found a home in her chest. She let out a choked cry of pain as she kicked the Chitauri Soldier in the stomach. The force of her kick caused the alien to stumble backwards, and for Thor to summon down lightning from the building storm clouds. He hurled the lighting towards the Chitauri Soldier and watched as the creature fell to the ground.

The fight had lasted seconds, but Amara hadn't even noticed. She was too focused on the blood seeping from her side. She put her hand around the wound, and let out a gasp of pain. The knife was still buried inside her. She thought back to her training, and to the spell Loki had taught her that would heal herself or anyone it was needed for temporarily until they could reach a healer. As she began the spell, black spots obscured her vision as her knees gave way. She could feel her strength leaving and struggled to stay conscious.

Thor was quickly at her side, gently taking her in his arms to ensure no more injury would come to the young sorceress. His gaze fell to the blade, and he began evaluating the injury as best as he could.

The blade hadn't went in too deep, only a few inches at most but the amount of blood Amara was losing worried him.

"Lady Amara, you must focus. The spell Loki taught you to heal yourself. You must use it." Thor said firmly as he gave her a gentle shake to ensure she hadn't slipped into unconsciousness. Amara gave Thor a weak nod and moved her hand back to the injury. She could barely stop her hand from shaking, but with Thors help, she was able to keep herself steady as she removed the dagger. The pain almost made her lose consciousness, but she gritted her teeth and let out a low growl.

She muttered the spell quietly, her voice weak and tired. Beneath her suit, the wound began healing, and after a short period of time, the skin had knitted itself back together, and there was only a faint pink line where the wound had been.

Amara let out a groan of pain as she stood. She leaned against Thor for support, her breathing laboured. She winced in pain as they walked, her side stinging. Just because the injury had healed, it didn't mean the pain was no longer existent. However, the pain had turned into more of a dull ache, but each step jolted the newly healed injury, and sent a violent shock of pain through the young sorceresses' nervous system.

"Can you make it back to the Jet?" Thor asked quietly, his voice laced with concern as he watched Amara intently for any sign of her needing help. His arm was around her waist as he helped her towards the jet, allowing her to lean against him for support. He was worried for her safety. Had the blade hit anywhere vital, the serrated edge of the blade would have torn through her organs and killed her. They had been lucky that it hadn't been deep enough to cause major damage.

He let out a sigh of relief as Amara nodded weakly. He noticed her eyes closing for a few seconds as they walked, and he carefully picked her up into his arms, causing her to open her eyes in shock, and her face to flush deeply.

"Thor… Please, I can walk." Amara said as she tried to get back on the ground, but Thors grip was too strong, and after a few seconds of struggling, she gave up and slumped in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder. Thor let out a soft chuckle as he began walking again, and Amara sent him a glare.

"Don't laugh at me." She mumbled as she placed a hand over the newly healed injury, wincing as she shifted to a more cormftable position. Thor merely smiled and continued chuckling.

"I apologise. It is just that you reminded me of a friend. Were I to do this, she would have struggled too. Although she would have beaten me once she was healed for making her look like a maiden in need of saving. A truly terrifying woman. You would like her." Thor explained. His eyes fixed upon the now visible Quin-Jet, and he began to speed up, hoping to reach the aircraft quickly.

Amara was silent for a few moments before she spoke again.

"A person who could kick your arse? I find that highly unlikely." She said with a soft chuckle, only to regret it as she winced in pain. The spell was wearing off, and the pain was becoming stronger.

"Her name is Sif. She is truly terrifying when she wants to be." Thor murmured with a shudder as he thought back to Sifs anger. They arrived at the Quin-Jet to see two of the teams had already returned. Bruce had returned to his normal size, and was treating Clint for an injury on his arm, while Tony and Loki stood watch at the hangar doors.

Lokis eyes flicked into the jet, watching Bruce treat Clint for an injury he had sustained from a Chitauri Soldier. No one hadn't expected there to be Chitauri Soldiers wielding blades, as they had only been seen using highly advanced rifles that shot energy beams.

Loki let out a groan as he leaned against the frame of the jet. He had suffered a few injuries, and without magic, he couldn't perform a temporary fix to them, leaving him in pain. His thoughts drifted to Amara.

He had recently taught her the spell, and she could heal him when she arrived, he thought absently. His eyes drifted back outside and his body froze as he saw Thor walking towards them. His eyes quickly scanned the area for Amara, and it took him a few seconds to realise Thor was carrying her.

"Amara." He breathed, his eyes widening as he watched them coming closer. He turned to Bruce, who had looked up sharply at the mention of Amara.

"Doctor Banner. Amara needs help." Loki said quickly and he sped from the jet, his eyes focused on the figure in Thors arms. Relief surged through his heart as he saw she was awake, but the relief quickly disappeared as he noticed the blood on Amaras uniform, and the tear in the fabric where and injury had clearly been. He quickly realised that she had used the spell he had been thinking of only moments ago, and knew they needed to act quickly to ensure she was in a stable environment for when the spell ended.

"Thor, get her to Doctor Banner quickly. The spell is clearly fading away fast and we must ensure she is able to be treated." Loki said quickly as he and Thor walked to the Quin-Jet. His heart was in his mouth as he watched Thor lay Amara across the seats and move back as Bruce moved in to treat her.

She had already fallen unconscious due to the pain she had felt, and now the spell had completely faded, leaving her bleeding. Loki watched with nervous apprehension, and jumped when Bruce said his name.

"Loki. I need you to help me. I can't treat her alone, and with Clint hurt you are the only one who can help while Thor and Tony keep look out." Bruce snapped, his voice sharp as he worked to save the young sorceresses life.

Loki snapped out of his stupor and moved to Amaras side, berating himself for falling into such a state. He immediately looked at Bruce, waiting for instruction. Bruce cut away Amaras suit from the top half of her body, leaving the wound visible for treatment.

"We need to stop the bleeding. If we can do that, she will be stable until we get home where I can treat her properly. I need you to disinfect the wound with an anti-septic wipe from the container. We don't want her to get infected." Bruce explained quickly, his hands pressed against the wound as a seal to stop the blood leaking.

Loki pulled a wipe from the container Bruce had pointed to and began to wipe the area, his eyes scanning Amara for any other injury. Other than a few scratches, there were no injuries that proved life threatening. He felt Amaras body tense under his hand, and his eyes flicked to her face. He could feel his heart rate increasing dramatically to a worrying pace, but continued to focus on the task in hand. Once the area had been disinfected, they had bandaged the wound so that Amara wouldn't lose any more blood. Loki let out a sigh of relief as Bruce said she was stable. His hands shook and he looked back at Amaras face, his hand moving up and touching her cheek gently.

"You had better live through this Amara." He muttered quietly. He stayed by her side, even when Thor told him he needed to strap himself in as Steve and Natasha had gotten back, and they could finally leave. His choice to remain by Amaras side did not go unnoticed, and the Avengers watched the Trickster with hesitant and curious eyes.

Loki never even noticed. His emerald gaze was fixed upon Amara. He had only looked away when he had gotten a blanket down to put across her for her own modesty before they had taken off. With her uniform cut away, much of her upper body was left uncovered. He rested his hand on her cheek and stroked it getting, murmuring to the young sorceress quietly.

He knew that the young sorceress had done something to him, he had always know that he had cared about her. He just hadn't realised how deeply he cared for her until she was at Deaths door. He pushed those thoughts aside, planning on dealing with them later. He needed to focus on her.

Now all he could do was wait and pray that they would get back to the Mansion in time so his powers would be restored, and he could heal her with his magic.


	22. The Final Word

**A/N: Hey guys! I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday! I know it's been over a month since I updated and I am really sorry. University has been extremely hectic, and it does come first. However, I do aim to get out a few more chapters of this story before I go back. The story itself may even be finished by the end of January, as there isn't much left. The hard part is putting the idea into words!**

**I hope you enjoy, and please remember to leave a review on what you like and what I could do to improve my writing style!**

**Disclaimer - I do not own anything belonging to Marvel or any of its characters. The only thing I own is my OC, Amara. I write this story purely for fun, and receive no payment for it.**

**Now on with the story!**

**The Final Word**

The first thing Amara noticed as she woke up was the unusual feeling of the bed below her. The mattress did not feel at all like her own. She thought back, trying to remember what had happened, but everything was a blank. She opened her eyes and looked around the room. The bright lights above her caused her to groan in pain and close her eyes quickly. After a few moments, she risked another glance and, as her eyes began to re-adjust, she recognised the sterile, clean environment of a medical ward.

She let out a sigh and struggled to sit up, but as she moved, a searing pain tore through her side, causing her to gasp in pain. Her eyes moved down as she pushed the thin bed sheet out of the way, and her eyes froze on the bandages that wrapped their way around her torso. She let out a sigh and flopped back against the pillow, her eyes closing as she attempted to collect her thoughts.

There wasn't much for her to work on, as the most recent memory she had was leaving for Paris with the Avengers and Loki. Anything after that was a blur. There were small things that she could remember. Hushed murmurings, and a soothing hand touching her cheek. These were the only things she could remember, and even then they weren't clear, as if she had been fading in and out of consciousness at the time.

She relaxed and opened her eyes, forcing herself into a sitting position despite the pain. A small hiss escaped through her teeth as she made herself cormftable. Her side continued to flare in pain, but it slowly subsided as her body became used to its new position. She began to look around the room for any clue to show where she was. On the table beside her bed lay two books. One had a bookmark about three-quarters of the way through, and the other lay untouched.

Her eyes scanned the rest of the room, noting the security camera in the top corner of the room near the door. Self-consciously, she pulled the bed sheet up higher. The thought of someone watching her while she slept creeped her out, and made her shudder involuntarily. As she scanned the rest of the room, her eyes fell upon the folded duvet on a seat beside her bed, and a pillow placed on top of it.

Before she could take a closer look at anything else, the door clicked open, and her eyes snapped towards it. She let out a sigh of relief as Loki entered the room. Loki froze in the doorway as his eyes met Amaras before striding forward and gently grasping the young sorceress by the shoulders, his eyes flicking across her as if checking for any injury.

Amara went still at the contact, and waited for the god to finish. Once his assessment of her health was over, his eyes moved back to Amaras' face and he nodded slowly.

"You gave us quite a scare." Loki murmured quietly as his hand trailed up to cup Amaras' cheek. His emerald eyes never left her face, as if they were searching for any sign of pain or injury. Amaras' cheeks flushed pink at Lokis' touch. A moment of realization struck her as she recognised the feather light touch on her cheek.

"How long have I been out?" Amara asked, her voice cracking from lack of use, and from the dryness of her throat. It was as if Loki could read her mind, he moved to the table beside her bed and began to pour her a glass of water from the jug resting beside the books, and guided the glass to the young womans lips, helping her take steady, slow sips.

"Six days. After you got stabbed with the dagger, Doctor Banner stabilized you. The injury wasn't severe, but you needed to rest and receive proper medical treatment. We are at the SHIELD medical ward. It was the first place we brought you, and you have not left since you arrived." Loki explained as she drained the glass. Amara watched the god with careful eyes as the glass was placed back on the bedside table. He was acting different, as if he was truly worried for her. The usual mask that covered his face had slipped, and for now, Amara could see the young man that Loki had once been.

Her eyes flicked to the booked once more, then she sent Loki a questioning gaze with her eyebrow arching upwards, expecting an answer. Lokis' face took on a pink tinge, and he coughed to clear his throat.

"I thought you would prefer to have company, rather than stay here alone in a strange place." Loki said quickly, his eyes avoiding the young sorceresses face. Amara smiled and reached out, placing her hand over his. The contact caused Loki to freeze, and slowly look up at her in shock.

"Thank you Loki. I would have hated being here alone. Knowing you were here makes me feel a little better." She murmured quietly, the smile never leaving her face. Loki bowed his head in acknowledgement. He let out a soft chuckle as he looked up, a smile of his own in place.

Amaras thoughts shifted to the event that Loki had explained, and some of the memories began to take their place, but most were still blurry, and left much out.

"It's mostly a blur, but I can remember a few things. Most of it isn't nice." She muttered as she shuddered in revulsion, her gaze falling to her hand resting atop of his. Loki turned his hand over so their palms met, and intertwined his fingers with hers, his cool touch soothing as his thumb rubbed across the back of her hand.

"Amara. You are safe now. There is nought to fear." Loki whispered, his eyes focusing on Amaras face. A low, hollow laugh escaped her throat, and she looked up to meet the gods' gaze, her eyes filled with worry.

"What if next time I'm not fast enough? What if next time… I die?" She asked, her voice breaking slightly. Lokis gaze hardened, and without thinking, he pulled the young woman close so her head was buried against his chest. His arms wrapped around her waist, minding her injury, and he held her. His hands rubbed her back soothingly for a few moments.

"I will not allow anything to harm you Amara. If anything tries to hurt you, I will do anything in my power to destroy it. You are under my protection, and I will not allow any creature to harm you." Loki growled.

Amaras eyes widened in shock at the tenderness Loki was showing. Through the thin shirt he was wearing, she could hear his heart hammering in his chest, and as he spoke, her own arms snaked around him. She kept her head buried in his chest, enjoying the comfort and gentleness that Loki was showing her. She closed her eyes, her own heart beating quickly in confusion of how much she seemed to enjoy Lokis' touch.

Pushing away any rational thought, she let out a soft sigh, and relaxed into the arms of her fallen God.

It was over two weeks before the doctors allowed her to leave the ward, and by the time she had left, the ground was covered in a tick sheet of snow, with an icy winters wind biting at her skin.

Even after she arrived back at the Mansion, Amara was barely allowed to do anything. She had bonded with the team of heroes, and each person seemed to keep a close eye on her, even Natasha had stopped Amara from doing anything she thought was too straining.

However, it was clear that the team were hiding something. Even Loki seemed to know something, but anytime she asked, they brushed it off as nothing. Her patience was growing thin, and as they gathered in the living room as they usually did, she decided she had had enough.

She stood quickly, her eyes flicking from person to person in an attempt to crack their façade.

"I want to know what you are all hiding. Don't play dumb, as I'm getting sick of that shit. I want to know what the hell is going on." Amara demanded, her eyes narrowing. The room fell silent, and the team exchanged glances. Tony shrugged and let out a sigh.

"She should know. If she is helping us then she has a right to know." He murmured, his eyes flicking to Loki, who shook his head vehemently.

"She is not to know. This is my business, and I will not have her in danger because of me." Loki sad coldly, his own eyes narrowing. Amara turned to the Trickster and crossed her arms, her eyes boring into the god in front of her.

The room was deathly silent as the pair glared at each other, although Lokis eyes were mostly a pleading glance at the young sorceress to stay out of it.

"Loki, tell me what is happening. I have a right to know." Amara stated firmly. Loki never even had the chance to speak when Clint stood and pulled Amara towards the screen used to prepare strategies. He pressed a button on the remote control, and as the screen lit up, Amaras eyes widened in shock.

The plan was intricate and detailed, and told the young sorceress exactly what they were facing. She turned to Loki for conformation of what she was seeing, and the small nod of his head made her sick. Her face turned white and her heart had plummeted to her stomach.

"Thanos left us a message. He wants Loki and the Tesseract, or he'll destroy every city he finds. This plan will keep everyone safe. Including Loki and the Tesseract." Clint explained slowly. Amaras eyes turned to the archer and the breathed in deeply, her eyes filled with an iron cold determination.

"What do you need me to do?" She asked quietly. Clint pushed the button on the control once more, bringing up the next part of the plan, which showed her exactly what she would be doing. She nodded slowly, her mouth dry as she read.

For Loki, this proved too much, and he stood quickly. He strode towards the young sorceress and spun her around.

"This is foolish. If something goes wrong you could die Amara. Why would you agree to this?" Loki asked angrily, his voice seething and his eyes burning. Amaras' eyes slowly trailed up the Trickster to meet his gaze, and her own cold, hardened gaze shocked Loki more than anything.

"You could die much easier than me. This is a suicide mission. First, I have family that I love and want to protect. I'm not just going to sit back and watch them get hurt or killed if you all fail. Second, do you really think I would just sit back and wait for you all to come back from this, worrying about whether you'll survive or not? Third, I can help. I have powers and Fury recruited me for a reason. If you try and stop me, I'll just follow." Amara stated calmly, her voice steady and even as she spoke.

Loki opened his mouth to retort, but no words came out. For once, his silver-tongue had failed him. He shook his head and spun on his heel, striding from the room quickly. The recognisable slam of the back door resonated throughout the mansion, and Thor let out a sigh of disappointment.

As Clint walked past her, he patted Amaras shoulder gently, and sent her a small smile.

"You should go and make sure your boyfriend doesn't set fire to the archery range. I'll kill him if he does." Clint said jokingly. Amara slapped the archer in the chest and made an obscene gesture at him, causing Tony to choke on his drink. She grabbed her jacket from the hook, and headed out of the back door. Her eyes landed on Loki, who was sitting on the bench by the frozen pond.

She strolled towards him and sat down beside her, her eyes focused on his figure. He was bent over, his head in his hands. She pressed a gentle hand to his back, and rubbed soothingly, hoping this wasn't as awkward for Loki as it felt for her. She wasn't brilliant at comforting others, but she could at least try.

"I do not wish for you to be hurt at my expense." Loki whispered quietly. It was almost inaudible, and Amara almost missed it. She merely stayed quiet, and continued to rub his back. Soon enough, Loki straightened up and turned to face the young sorceress, who watched him patiently.

"If you do this, you may die, Amara. How will your family react to that? How am I supposed to keep you safe if you keep rushing off into danger?" Loki asked, a frown prominent on his face. Amara reached up, and rested her hand against his cheek. The god leaned into her touch, a small, content sigh escaping from his throat as he did so.

"My family knows that I can't stand injustice, and would be proud of me. I would never stand by while people were hurt if I had a chance to help them. You keeping me safe though? You knew the moment you made that promise that it was stupid. I'm always rushing off into danger. I don't need you to protect me Loki. You've taught me enough so that I can protect myself. Because of you, I have the ability to help those that can't help themselves." Amara explained quietly.

The pair stared at each other for a moment, and soon Loki leaned in, pressing his forehead against hers. Green eyes met brown, and for a long time, no words were spoken. They were not needed. Everything that they wished to convey was seen in each other's eyes. Since Amara had awoken in the hospital, the relationship between Loki and Amara had taken a drastic turn. They had relied on each other to talk about more emotional subjects.

They had become more than friends. It was clear for anyone with eyes to see that. They confided in one another and clearly trusted each other. To Loki, Amara was a woman who had abilities that matched his own, and listened to his opinion, even if she thought it to be wrong. She listened to him no matter what he said, and if the subject took a sadder turn, she was there to comfort and help him through it.

In the same way, Loki was a balm for Amara. He helped her become an overall stronger person. Her magic had grown thanks to the Trickster, and so had her confidence in using magic. Certain things from her past that had tormented her, no longer held any power. Having Loki as a confidant had helped her see passed the unimportant things.

The pair had helped each other grow, and in turn, something had appeared that neither of them had noticed.

Amaras question broke the silence that had been growing, and left the air heavy in regret.

"How long until the plan starts?" She whispered, her eyes never leaving Lokis. The god in question blinked and let out a small sigh as he reached up and caressed the young sorceresses' cheek gently.

"Two weeks. Thanos said he wanted me turned over by the next full moon, which is on the 6th December, by your dates." He whispered back.

'Two weeks,' Amara thought. It was barely any time at all, and soon enough the date would close down on them. She regretted all the time she had wasted. Her life could end in two weeks, and she could only think of everything she wished that she had done.

"Amara. I want you to promise me something." Loki said, his voice firm as his thumb stroked Amaras' cheek. "I want you to promise me that once this is all over, you'll go home and never get involved in anything like this again." He never let her answer his request, because the moment he had finished speaking, he pressed his lips against hers in a tender kiss before pulling away and standing. He made his way back into the house and to his room, not looking back.

The moment the door shut behind him, his face hardened and he searched through his drawers for the notebook he kept, and began to write furiously. He had a plan of his own to concoct. If anything mattered to him, it was keeping the young sorceress that had changed him safe. And if that meant she would hate him forever, then so be it.

No one would know of his plan, and it would be enacted before anyone realised that he was gone. He was, after all, the God of Mischief, and he hadn't changed that much. Trickery and Lies were his base nature, and he was putting them to good use. The plan he was creating required cunning and trickery.

His heart may have changed, but his mind was still that of Loki Odinson. The young boy who had learned magic from his mother. He would not allow anyone to be subject to Thanos' cruel manipulations and tortures. Especially not Amara or Thor. He had to keep them safe above everything else, even if his own life ended.

Loki gazed at the necklace in his hands, and slipped it around his neck. The moment the clasps touched, he felt his magic pouring back into him. He stretched and let out a relaxed sigh. As a practice, he teleported out of the mansion and to the nearest street. Then he conjured a small flame to ensure his powers were working. A small smirk appeared upon the gods face, and he once again teleported. It was time for him to face Thanos, and there would be nothing that Thanos could use against him this time.


	23. Journey Through the Magical Line

**A/N: Hi guys! I know I promised a chapter before the 5th January and I am really sorry about the delay. Many things happened, like my computer breaking. It took me a while to get a new one and get everything sorted. I am hoping to have at least two, maybe three more chapters in this story. I hope you like this chapter!**

**Remember to leave a review and once again, I am sorry for the delay!**

**Chapter 23 – Journey through the Magical Line**

Amara paced quickly, her mind focusing on the note that Thor had just read aloud.

"Gone? How could he have gone? His powers were sealed anytime he left this place. Not to mention the fact that he was unable to leave without anyone with him." Fury said coldly, his eye focusing on Thor. The thunder god let out a frustrated sigh, and shook his head.

"I do not know. He is smarter than you think, and could have created a talisman to block Odins' magic. We were prepared for him to try and escape, but we were not prepared for him leaving to take on Thanos alone. I am unsure how Loki think he can stop Thanos." Thor explained, his eyes fixed upon the note in front of him. He couldn't understand why Loki had left. While Loki was powerful with his magic, Thor knew that Thanos was far more powerful, and would stand no chance against the Mad Titan.

Amara moved back towards the table where the note lay, and picked it up. Her eyes flicked across the paper, her heart beating faster with each word. Thor may have already read it aloud, but to see the cursive, neat script that was Lokis handwriting on the paper left Amara more worried than she had been.

_Thor,_

_Since I know you well enough, I realise that you will find this letter first, and if you dare enter my room again by all the gods I will find a way to end you. _

_Now, onto the reason that this note exists. I cannot allow you nor Amara to risk your lives by taking on Thanos. I know a way to possibly defeat him, and I will most likely will not return from this. Please take care of mother. Keep her safe, and tell her I am sorry for everything. Tell her that I love her._

_Amara. I want to apologise to you as well. Everything I have done to you, the small comments I have made. I am truly sorry. I hope you can find some ability to forgive me. For my words, and for my actions last night. You will know what I mean, and I will say nothing of the event other than I am sorry that it did not happen under better circumstances. I care for you far more than I should. You deserve someone better, someone less broken._

_Please keep to the promise that I asked you. Stay out of this, and go home._

_Stay safe, both of you._

_Loki_

Thor had not read the last part aloud, mostly to save Amara the embarrassment, but her mind knew what Loki was talking about. The kiss. She had barely been able to comprehend Loki actions, and had lay in her bed that night thinking of what Loki could mean by it. She cared for the Trickster. She knew that much. But she was not aware that the attraction she felt for him was returned.

She shook her head and folded the note, placing it in her pocket. Her mind struggled to process this information. They had to help him, but no one knew where Thanos was.

"He wouldn't… He knows the dangers, he would never take that risk." Thor murmured quietly. All eyes in the room focused on the Thunder god, and Natasha was the one to ask the question.

"Thor, what do you think Loki has done?" Natasha asked. Her eyes were narrowed as she focused her attention on the blonde god.

Thor let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair, his eyes filled with a defeated look.

"I believe Loki intends to allow his magic to become unstable. If he does, it could cause an explosion of energy that no one would survive. However, by losing control in such a way, the energy would rip Loki apart. He would not survive the energy, and even if he did, the area would become inhospitable. He would die from exposure to the energies." Thor explained. His voice was hollow, void of all emotions. Loki would die, and with no way to track him, they had no way to interfere with Lokis plan.

"Loki does not know the risk he is taking. The explosion may not kill Thanos. Thanos is an immensely strong being, capable of surviving many things. If Loki does this, and Thanos survives the blast, Thanos will lay siege to Midgard in revenge. Your planet will be destroyed, and there will be no hope for you of survival. The moment he finds the tesseract, he will destroy everything and everyone." Thor said slowly, letting each word sink in.

Amara clenched her fists to keep her hands from shaking, her mind desperately clinging to any rational thought that could possibly help them. She sifted through her memories, looking for something to help them. It was then that she remembered Loki explaining their magical connection, and her eyes widened.

"Thor. If Loki is able to find me with his magic, since it is exactly the same, shouldn't I be able to reverse it so I can find him?" Amara asked, her eyes pleading with Thor, hoping that there just might be a way of saving the Trickster before it was too late.

Thor sat up straighter and thought for a moment, his brow furrowed in concentration.

"Possibly. Although you could be scouring over a large distance, and there is only a small chance that this would work. You would be tracing your magic back through your family, which will take time. So far though, this is our only option, and it could provide us with his location. Do you know what to do?" Thor asked, his eyes flicking to the young sorceress. Amara nodded and sat in the empty chair beside Thor.

She closed her eyes, her mind focusing on her magical essence. She scoured for a moment before she found it, and, slowly, she began to follow it, hoping that she would be able to find the Trickster. Her family tree began to lay itself out before her. There were some who had discovered their magic, and others who hadn't, but the magic was still there, easy to trace back. As she got further, however, the essence became difficult to trace, and she had to focus upon the magic with all of her energy.

Each different soul that the magic had touched was different, and so the essence burned a different colour for each. Deep blues, purples and greens appeared, alongside lighter reds, yellows and oranges. The beauty of the path her magic had taken astounded the young sorceress, leaving her breathless as she explored her history.

Each person who had gained control of it had wielded the magic in different ways. Some had used it for protection, while others had used it to heal the sick and wounded. The varieties of ways that the magic had been used let Amara unsure of her own path. But one thing she noted, was that all who had gained control of their magic, had died young in a horrifying way. Her stomach clenched at the thought of what that meant for her. She shook herself, focusing back upon the task at hand. She could not risk losing the path now.

Eventually, she reached the beginning. The day Loki had gifted her family with the very magic she was currently using to track him. She noticed how the strain of energy pulled at her as she reached out to the magic's origin. The scouring had left her drastically weakened, but she pushed herself through the last few barriers until she reached Loki himself. She gasped as Lokis life before he had given her family magic flashed through her mind. The memories caused her to groan in pain, and she pushed them away until all that was left was the trail of magic to follow to find the fallen god.

With his location set in her mind, Amara allowed herself to fall back to her own body. She opened her eyes and looked up to the ceiling. Her brow furrowed in confusion, and she sat up. The blood rushed to her head, and a feeling of exhaustion hit her like a train, causing her to fall back against the bed, a soft, tired groan escaping as she closed her eyes.

"Finally she awakens!" Tony said from beside her. She let out another groan and opened her eyes.

"I know where Loki is." She said tiredly. She struggled into a sitting position and shook her head, trying to keep herself awake as she spoke. "He is in a ship that's in orbit around the Earth."

The smile vanished from Tonys' face as he listened, and he grumbled in annoyance.

"Space ships. Of course it had to be a giant space ship." He groaned.

* * *

Loki fell to his knees, his breathing heavy and laboured. He looked up at Thanos, and sent him a defiant glare, a snarl ripping from his throat. Pain ripped through his back as the whip connected with the open wound on his back.

"Still you do not speak. Where is the Tesseract you worthless excuse of a god?" Thanos growled, his eyes narrowing as he leaned forward in his throne. His eyes were focused on the Trickster with an intense glare. Loki let out a ragged breath as the whip was brought down again, his body jerking under the impact.

Loki didn't say a word. He met the Mad Titans' gaze, no noise escaping his throat. Thanos held up his hand, and The Other lowered the whip. Loki let out a sigh of relief, breathing in as deeply as possible without causing himself more pain.

"You have quite the resolve Loki. I thought I had broken it before. No matter, it shan't take long to break you again." Thanos said, a rumbling laugh escaping as he stood. He walked down towards the Trickster, and pulled Loki to his feet. A flicker of fear ran through Lokis eyes, and he pulled away desperately.

"Nowhere to hide little god." Thanos murmured as he placed his hand on Lokis forehead. He broke through Lokis mental barriers with ease, and began sifting through the memories that were waiting. It was like a treasure trove. All the information that he needed, and some that he had not expected.

"Well now. This is a surprise. The God of Mischief is in love with a mortal." The Mad Titan mused, his voice echoing through Lokis mind. Loki let out a gasp, his eyes widening and his struggling becoming more erratic. Memories of Amara were pulled to the forefront of his mind, and a cold laugh seared through them.

"I suppose she is a pretty little thing, for a mortal that is. Do not worry. I will not kill her yet. I'll ensure she lives long enough for you to kill her yourself, and once you come back to your senses and see what you have done to your beloved, I will tear your mind apart, piece by piece, until nought is left but ruin." Thanos growled as he dropped Loki to the ground.

"Take him away." Thanos said nonchalantly to the Chitauri soldiers standing by the door. Loki fought back with every bit of energy he had left as he was dragged away, his eyes gleaming with unrelenting fury.

'Soon', Loki thought to himself. 'Soon Thanos will regret ever picking me out of the void'.


	24. Excavating the Emptiness

**Chapter 24- Excavating the Emptiness**

The pain rippling through Lokis mind left the God in a permanent state of meditation as he fought off the attacks upon his mind. His mind was poked and prodded as Thanos tried to gather as much information as he could, specifically the location of the Tesseract. The first time Thanos had entered the Tricksters mind, Loki had been weak from falling through the void created by the destruction of the Bifrost.

This time, however, Loki was at full strength, and was able to hold the mad Titan at bay, as long as he focused. He let out a deep breath as Thanos disappeared from his mind, and confusion crossed as he felt the floor below him shudder. His stomach plummeted as he felt the ship descend. His lips cured upwards, and a feral grin crossed the Tricksters face.

"Time to go." He murmured quietly to himself as he uncrossed his legs and stood slowly. The Chitauri guards watching him tensed as he stood, but took his slow ascent as a sign of a weakened state, and began to relax. That was their downfall. Loki moved quickly, and struck with the accuracy that came from centuries of training. The Chitauri were left lying in a heap on the floor as Loki exited the room, his eyes scanning the hallway. He shrank back against the wall, and crept through the deserted corridor, his eyes constantly searching for a threat. He slowed as he reached an open room, and headed inside slowly.

It held no decorations, just basic necessities. However, Loki was there for one thing. The window. He gazed out of it, watching as the ship plummeted past the Earths atmosphere, and began its descent to land. The view, he mused, was quite magnificent. Loki shook his head and let out a sigh.

"If this is to be the last I see of Midgard, then I am glad I get such a beautiful view." He mused, his voice low as to avoid detection. He had thirty minutes at most until they reached the ground. He needed to be quick with his plan. He stepped back out into the corridor, and waved his hand, causing a copy of himself to appear.

"Distract the guards, keep them busy." He murmured quietly. The clone nodded and headed down the corridor. A minute past, and Loki heard the commotion begin. With a distraction in place, he crept to the engine room, his feet silent as he moved. His green eyes focused upon the pale blue power source that kept the ship running. A small chuckle escaped his throat and he stood to his full height.

He closed his eyes, and began to cast his spell, his mind focusing on it completely. It took him almost ten minutes to prepare the spell, and when he opened his eyes, he looked over to the power source, placing his hand against the surface of the glass container.

"I am sorry Thor, Mother… Amara. I will miss you all. I hope in time you can forgive me." He whispered as he released the energy that he had built up for the spell. He closed his eyes once more, and his mind went blank.

In the sky, all that was seen was a large green fireball in the sky, then the debris of the ship falling to the ground as the smoke cleared.

The explosion from the ship rattled through the Quinjet, which had landed near the estimated landing sight of Thanos' ship. The team aboard it went silent as the watched the debris of the ship plummet to the ground. They all knew that surviving the explosion would have been almost impossible, and so their eyes turned to Thor, whose head was bowed, his gaze focused upon ground.

Everyone remained silent as they exited the Quinjet after the last of the wreckage had hit the ground. They stood ready, prepared in case anything had survived the crash to Earth. The crunching of leaves beneath their feet was the only noise they could hear, and their eyes looked for any sign of movement. Any sign of life.

"Jarvis isn't picking up any sign of life within the wreckage. As far as we can tell. Nothing survived." Tony said. His voice sounded robotic from the influence of his suit, but the heaviness of his voice was clear for all to hear.

Amaras eyes flicked to Thor, who hadn't spoken since the ship had exploded. His sentence had died in his throat the moment they saw the large ball of fire in the sky, and he hadn't uttered a word since. She placed a hand upon his arm, wishing she knew what to say to comfort him.

"Thor, do you want to go back to the Quinjet?" Amara asked, making sure she was out of earshot of their team mates. Thor looked up and met her gaze, his eyes dull, and void of their usual joyful spark. He breathed in deeply before standing up straight, his grip on Mjolnir tightening as they walked.

"I… Will be fine. Thank you, Lady Amara, but I need to see this, and… See if there is something to bring back to Asgard." He said, his voice cracking as he spoke. He shook his head and strode forward, pushing his grief aside. Amara watched the Thunder God with sad eyes as she followed him and caught up with the others.

She closed her eyes for a moment as they all stopped, her heart beating painfully at the thought of Lokis death. She let out a soft sigh and pushed her feelings aside. She couldn't let her emotions stop her from doing her job, not when so much was at stake. If Thanos had survived, they were all in danger, and her comrades needed her to be focused on the task at hand.

She opened her eyes and looked towards the smouldering wreckage of the ship. The faint hissing of cooling metal could still be heard, as could the groans of the metal that shifted and buckled under its own weight.

"This is crazy. No one could have survived that." Clint said, his eyes scanning the wreckage. He had an arrow nocked, ready in case anything moved that shouldn't have. The entire team was tense, their weapons at the ready as they began to move forward slowly. Not a word was spoken, even The Hulk was silent. They fanned out as they reached the wreckage, each searching for anything that could be of use.

Amara shivered as the wind blew, and tightened the grip on her gun. She stopped as her foot hit something, and kneeled down. There was something under the metal, and her curiosity got the best of her. She moved the metal to get a better look at what caught on her foot, and pulled away with a horrified gasp, her stomach lurching at the sight before her.

The remains of a Chitauri soldier, whose body was burned almost beyond recognition. She covered her mouth as the smell of burning flesh hit her, and stumbled backwards, trying with all her might to not be sick at the sight before her. Her foot caught on something behind her and she tripped.

She put her hand out to break her fall, and groaned in pain as she landed. She slowly sat up and rubbed her wrist, which ached painfully. She focused upon the item that she had tripped over, and froze.

Before her lay a golden, horned helmet that she knew all too well. One of the horns was snapped, and the other was bent out of place. The thought of the dead Chitauri flew out of her mind and her heart gave a sorrowful throb.

She lifted it from the dirt carefully, noticing the crack that ran across the centre of the helmet. She looked over to Thor, and let out a sorrowful groan as she stood and made her way towards him.

"Thor." She said quietly as she approached him. The Thunder god turned to speak to Amara when his eyes landed on the broken helmet in her hands. His eyes widened and he moved forward slowly, Mjolnir slipping from his grasp and hitting the ground. He took the helmet carefully, his eyes never moving away as he struggled to speak.

"Amara… Thank you." Thor rasped, his head bowed and his voice cracking with emotion. He was silent for a while before he looked back up to Amara, his eyes sad.

"I know you cared for him. I am sorry that you and he never said goodbye. I-" He began, but was cut off by the sound of metal scraping and creaking. They looked over towards a large pile of rubble, and watched in horror as it began to shit. As the metal bent outwards, a figure appeared and stepped out of the rubble.

Thanos smiled as he looked around, clearly injured from the crash, but still alive. He reached behind in and pulled someone out of the rubble, someone who was familiar to the team, and was clearly injured. Thanos pushed Loki forward, and the Trickster collapsed to the ground, struggling to get up.

"Avengers. It is about time we finally met." The Mad Titan said with a cruel grin, his gaze flicking from Avenger to Avenger.


End file.
